About
Teresa Odle is a writer and editor who has lived and gardened throughout the mountains of arid New Mexico. She joined the Bob Vila team as a freelancer in March 2020, editing and writing helpful articles mostly on gardening and outdoor living.
Experience
Teresa has worked in online, print, and social media spaces as an editor and writer for more than 20 years. She is the former editor of African Violet Magazine and has contributed articles or blog posts to Out Here Magazine, Home Wizards, Curiosity, Su Casa Magazine (South), Southwest Gardening, Gardening Know How, Green Profit Magazine, Gardening Products Review, Plant Addicts, Cengage Learning, and national feature syndicates.
In 2015, Teresa founded Gardening in a Drought, a blog dedicated to gardening in dry climates and her experiences growing native plants and vegetable gardens on 4 acres in southeastern New Mexico. The blog received the top digital writing award in 2016 from the Garden Writers of America (Garden Communicators). She now focuses on garden/health and writing/editing.
Education
Teresa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Arizona State University. She was trained as a master gardener and certified as a ski instructor while living in northern New Mexico.
Highlights
- Specialties and interests: Gardening, outdoor living, home improvement, and health care
- Education and certificates: Bachelor of Fine Arts from Arizona State University; certifications in gardening and ski instruction
- Other work: Former editor of African Violet Magazine, former freelance editor for Discovery Communications, editor for Cengage Learning (editor in the Life Sciences division), former master gardener
Best DIY Advice
Teresa and her husband love outdoor projects and really enjoyed having a rural 4-acre playground and test lab filled with plenty of critters, where one DIY project involved building gabion walls and new raised beds in a large xeric garden. Her best DIY advice? “There is so much information online that it can be overwhelming. Be sure to vet online and social media info by checking the source and—when looking at plant choices and plant care tips—by seeking experts who live and grow in similar conditions.”
