Beloved author and illustrator Sharon Lovejoy returns for her third appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, and this conversation feels like stepping into the kind of childhood we all hope to create. Sharon and Ginny explore why the garden remains one of the most powerful places to raise a child and a parent. From babies whose tiny hands brush over mint leaves to 96-year-olds planting their very first sunflower house, Sharon shows that it is never too late to begin.

Her timeless books like Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, Camp Granny, Sunflower Houses have introduced generations to the simple miracles of seeds, soil, and slowing down. This episode is a reminder that you don’t need expertise or acres of land; you just need a pot or two and some seeds to nurture.

Together, Sharon and Ginny share some reasons gardening changes families: it pulls children away from screens, fills them with curiosity, and gives them a world of textures, tastes, and small adventures—zinnias buzzing with life, lamb’s ear soft as felt, corn that comes in stunning colors, birdhouse gourds that become toys, and tiny discoveries waiting under every leaf. Sharon explains how a garden becomes a child’s first classroom, a parent’s pause button, and a generational legacy that ripples outward—just as her own grandmother’s influence shaped thousands of families around the world.

If you’ve ever wished for a slower, richer, more connected childhood for your kids or for yourself this conversation will give you the courage, inspiration, and practical starting points to begin today.

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