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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains

Family Garden Trains August, 2006 Update Note: This is an HTML version of an e-mail newsletter from the Family Garden Trains website, which publishes information about Garden Trains and related topics. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please join our Mailing List, and specify that you want to receive e-mail updates. Fine Print: If you are receiving our e-mail updates and you no longer wish to subscribe, please e-mail me with a "Please Unsubscribe" message (worded any way you wish), and we will graciously remove you from our list. The following topics are discussed in this update: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: GARDEN RAILROADING IN AUGUST: PLANTS IN AUGUST: WATER FEATURES IN AUGUST: INDOOR ACTIVITIES: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Now that the legalese is out of the way, we have the privilege of announcing an important new article on the Family Garden Trains web site: Planning Your Garden Railroad for Watchability. http://familygardentrains.com/primer/watchable/watchability.htm This article fills a big gap in our "Planning" section; it includes many ideas you might consider as you plan your first railroad or your next big upgrade, including 13 different kinds of track plans and 8 photographs of real railroads that use the principles described in the article. You may click on any of the illustrations for a "blowup." The article also includes links to other web pages and helpful resources that you can check out for more information. "Planning Your Garden Railroad for Watchability" is one of a series of articles we've been working on since about last August. More are planned, and some are in development now, so please stay tuned. GARDEN RAILROADING IN AUGUST: Here in Southwest Ohio, it's time to "deadhead" my Stubby Fingers and Blue Spruce sedum, and time to pull the crabgrass, nutgrass, and goldenrod that somehow gets seeded into my RR every year. Fortunately most other weeds slow down about this time of year. Many people in the so-called temperate zones have Open Houses in September; if you're thinking about such a thing, now is the time to start planning. The Family Garden Trains Article "Open House Checklist" will give you some things to think about: http://familygardentrains.com/archives/openhaus.htm PLANTS IN AUGUST: Although you're not supposed to plant trees in August, many stores start reducing prices on Dwarf Alberta Spruce and other landscaping trees about this time. Generally, if I pick anything like that up at the sales, I leave it in the pot in a mostly shaded area and make certain it stays moist until I have time to trim it up and get it into the ground in the fall. WATER FEATURES IN AUGUST: I also make certain that the "waterfalls" that aerate my pond are running properly. This includes cleaning out the filter as often as necessary to maintain a strong flow. I may have to treat the pond to get rid of that stringy dark algae (Pond Care Algae-Fix's present formula works without killing my plants, but be careful to read the label - some brands kill water hyacinth and other plants). If you do treat your pond for algae, be doubly careful to make certain your pond is getting aerated - otherwise the dying algae can create an unhealthy environment for your fish. INDOOR ACTIVITIES: If it's too hot to run trains, you might think about planning an indoor "test-track" somewhere that you can use in the "dog days" of August as well as the cold days of winter. It probably is time to start prioritizing your list of what you plan to get accomplished before the leaves fall. Unless you live where the leaves don't fall, then you REALLY need that indoor "test track." In the meantime, enjoy your trains, and especially enjoy any time you have with your family in the coming weeks, Best of luck, Paul Race www.familygardentrains.com To view the newsletter for September, 2006, click here. To read more, or to look at recommended Garden Railroading and Display Railroad products, you may click on the index pages below.