Steam in the Garden magazine was founded by Ron and Marie Brown in July 1990 because Ron, an avid small-scale live steamer, felt there were too few hobbyists in the United States and Canada and that the hobby was too centered on European- and British-profile prototypes.

Early issues of the magazine were printed on a duplicator and stapled in the upper left-hand corner of the page. Later issues were put together with plastic comb binding. The first three editions were reissued as a combined publication because all the extra copies sold out.

The husband-and-wife team built the magazine up from nothing, created an ancillary business selling hand-crafted locomotives and published six times per year.

For more than 20 years, Steam in the Garden has provided hobbyists with do-it-yourself building guides, locomotive and rolling stock reviews, coverage of local and national steamups, live-steam history, tips and tricks and generally kept the North American live-steam community bound together.

In fall 2010, Ron Brown passed away and in early 2011 Marie Brown selected Steam in the Garden LLC to continue publishing Steam in the Garden magazine. The limited-liability corporation consists of seven members, and includes Marie Brown herself.