Enjoy Your Garden With A Hammock

Hartman Chartwell Hammock at Hayes Garden World

Hammocks were invented by native Mexicans and conjure up images of exotic island paradises, drinking cocktails and lazing the days away. You don’t need to be in paradise to have a hammock though – you can set one up in your back garden.

This guide is filled with useful advice on where to hang your hammock.

Tips for Setting Up a Hammock

• Decide where you want to hang your hammock. Choose shady places, away from traffic or loud noises. Make sure the area is clear of insect activity (don’t hang a hammock under a bee hive or on top of an ant hill). Clear any stones, and debris such as tree branches from the general area to prevent injuries if you fall off the hammock.

• Select your pitch. This can be either two trees that have sturdy limbs and a minimum 12 inch in diameter trunk or two posts in a minimum of 3 feet of concrete.

• Choose your hammock style. There are two basic styles, one with spreader bars, and one without.

• If you are using the hammock with the spreader bars, measure your hammock length. If your hammock for example is 14 feet in length, then you will have to place your spreader bars 14 feet apart.

• If you are going to extend the hanging points, make them no more than 3 feet. That is 1½ feet on each end. Anything more will make you fall off the hammock more frequently.

• The recommended height for spreader bar hammocks is 4 to 6 feet from the ground.

• How tight you tie the hammock depends on your weight and the distance. You will have to experiment a bit or use a hammock hanging kit.

• If you are using a hammock without spreader bars, you need to tie the hammock at least 6 to 8 feet from the ground.

• As these types of hammocks tend to slouch, you have the flexibility to tie them at any distance. The minimum distance is 2/3 the distance of the hammock. Add 2 feet extra to get the maximum distance.

• When tying your hammock to the trees, use a pair of removable tree straps. These can be found at any hardware store. It is basically a loop of fabric at one end and a metal ring on the other. Slip the looped fabric onto the metal ring and connect with the hammock by using an S-hook. Adjust the straps to give the ideal height.

Enjoy your hammock experience; if you don’t own one, you can pick one up here. Have you ever tried relaxing in a garden hammock? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below!