LAKE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION INC. “Helping Others Grow”
🌼 Visit LCMGA at the 2026 Lake County Fair
LAKE COUNTY FAIR AUGUST 7–16, 2026!
📍 Industrial Building • Lake County Fairgrounds • Crown Point, Indiana
We’re excited to be back at the Lake County Fair, August 7–16! Stop by the Lake County Master Gardeners booth in the Industrial Building to meet Purdue Extension Master Gardeners.
At our booth, you can:
🌼 Get answers to your gardening questions from Purdue Extension Master Gardeners
🌱 Watch hands-on gardening demonstrations
🪴 Shop for plants, with proceeds supporting Master Gardener educational programs and scholarships
🦋 Enjoy fun gardening activities for children and families
📅 Learn about upcoming classes, workshops, field trips, and community events
Featured Garden Demonstration
Monday, August 10 • 10 a.m.
🥔 Growing Heirloom Potatoes in a Bag
🌙 Creating a Moon Garden
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just getting started, we’d love to meet you. Stop by the Industrial Building and say hello—we look forward to seeing you at the Fair!
Plants used in part shade/part sun pollinator planter
Thriller: Upright Fuchsia Ballerina Arabesque by Dummen Orange
Fillers: Streptocarpella Blue Angel Medium Light. Will bloom in shade; Heuchera/Coral Bells Purple Palace Perennial Sun to Part Shade
Spillers: Wire Vine (grows either sun or shade) Muehelenbeckia; Coleus Great Falls Yosemite Part Sun to shade
Hummingbirds love Fuchsia and Coral Bells. Bees love the Streptocarpella
How to successfully grow succulents
Succulents can be grown indoors as a house plant or outdoors
Light: They need filtered or partial outdoor sun or bright south facing windows indoors. Avoid harsh indoor sun that will burn leaves.
Watering: Use the “soak to dry method” where you drench the soil entirely and wait until the potting mix is dry to the touch before watering again. Never allow excess water to remain in the saucer under the pot.
Soil and potting: Plant the succulent in highly porous, well drained soil in a pot with drainage holes
Temperature: Succulents prefer warm environments between 50 and 70 degrees F. They can tolerate moderate temperature drops, but not frost.
Leaves and grooming: Gently prune old withered leaves at the base of the stem to discourage pests.
Common mistakes include over watering, using heavy soil and providing too little light.
Tips for growing strawberries in a container
Container grown strawberries are best treated as an annual.
- Use Everbearing and Day Neutral cultivars since they fruit in their first year.
- Best containers are about 12” diameter, 8” deep.
- Start plants in mid-April and protect from freezing temps.
- Use all-purpose potting soil, add starter fertilizer if not in mix.
- Plant 3-4 plants per 12” container.
- Consistent moisture needed, allow surface to dry between watering.
- Fertilize 2-3 times in growing season, usually after a flush of fruit.
- Remove 1% set of blooms in spring.
- Remove runners that form.
- Keep in full sun, at least 6 hours per day.
How to create a pepper container garden
The following is information about the pepper container garden on display at the fair. The master gardener winter sowed them in April and transplanted them into containers in the middle of June.
Grow a rainbow of flavor and color with Mini Sweet Pepper Seeds (Patio Snack Mix) from Survival Garden Seeds. This cheerful heirloom mix produces crisp, bite-sized red, yellow, and orange peppers bursting with mild sweetness and vibrant garden appeal. Perfect for families, urban gardeners, and anyone with limited space, these compact plants bring reliable harvests of delicious, snackable peppers all season long.
Patio Snack Mix peppers thrive in containers, raised beds, balconies, or sunny patios, reaching only 18–24 inches tall—ideal for small gardens or indoor growing under bright light. Their sweet, juicy flavor makes them perfect for fresh snacking, salads, kids’ lunches, or grilling, and their bright colors double as ornamental accents for edible landscaping.
Colorful, Sweet, and Space-Saving:
Mix of red, yellow, and orange mini peppers with crisp, mild sweetness
Compact 18–24 inch plants ideal for patio pots and containers
Matures in 60–75 days after transplant for early, continuous yields
Excellent for snacking, salads, roasting, or stuffing
Performs well across USDA zones 3–11
Why Gardeners Love Mini Sweet Peppers:
Heirloom, open-pollinated, and non-GMO for seed saving
High-yielding plants that produce multiple harvests
Great for container gardens, balconies, and edible landscaping
Perfect for beginner gardeners and family-friendly gardens
Adds color, nutrition, and sweetness to everyday meals
How to Grow:
Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost.
Maintain soil temperatures around 75–85°F for best germination (7–14 days).
Transplant outdoors after frost danger passes, spacing 12–18 inches apart.
Grow in full sun with well-drained, fertile soil and consistent moisture.
Harvest continuously to encourage steady production throughout the season.
🌼 See Us in Action at the Lake County Fair!
