Teresa Odle, Contributing Writer & Editor

Teresa Odle

Contributing Writer & Editor

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.”

More from Teresa Odle

Small patch of dandelions on green grass.
DIY

How to Get Rid of Dandelions in Your Yard

By Jennifer Noonan, Teresa Odle

Staining a wooden shelf on an outdoor work station.
DIY

How to Stain Wood Furniture

By Bob Vila, Updated by Teresa Odle

Hardscaping stairs in a backyard with a stone wall and foliage.
Curb Appeal

How Much Hardscaping Is Too Much? Experts Weigh In

By Teresa Odle

A man and woman measure a kitchen for remodels.
Interior

11 Ways to Reduce Construction Costs for Your Kitchen Renovation

By Tom Scalisi, Updated by Teresa Odle

A living room with grey carpet and white couch is on the left side, and a living room with light-colored hardwood flooring and a white couch is on the right.
Flooring

Carpet vs. Hardwood Flooring: Which Is the Better Option for Your Home?

By Timothy Dale, Updated by Teresa Odle

A suburban blue home with a tree planted in front of the front windows to provide shade.
Energy & Power

7 Landscaping Strategies That Can Lower Your Home’s Energy Costs Year-Round

By Teresa Odle

A maroon carpeted staircase with white banisters leads down to the first floor of a home.
Flooring

What Is the Best Carpet for Stairs?

By Andreana Lefton, Updated by Teresa Odle

Bags of both potting soil and garden soil, side by side surrounded by a few terra cotta garden pots.
Gardening

Garden Soil vs. Potting Soil: What’s the Difference?

By Mark Wolfe, Teresa Odle

A long keyhole garden bed with two concave sections is mostly full of leafy green vegetables.
DIY

Keyhole Gardening: What You Need to Know to Get Started

By Glenda Taylor, Updated by Teresa Odle

Pink, spiky fruits of Ricinus Communis, or Castor bean plant.
Gardening

19 Plants You Should Never Grow in Your Yard

By Jennifer Noonan, Updated by Teresa Odle

A father and son are staking a young tree together.
DIY

How to Stake a Tree the Right Way

By Jennifer Noonan, Updated by Teresa Odle

A large ornamental grass with large feathery plumes surrounded by other bright flowers.
Gardening

The 22 Best Ornamental Grasses for Adding Drama to Your Property

By Glenda Taylor, Teresa Odle

Father and son working on a home improvement project in the backyard.
DIY

26 Insanely Easy Home Improvements You Can Do in 1 Hour

By Cynthia Ramnarace, Updated by Teresa Odle

A piece of pressure-treated wood, along with the materials needed to prime and paint it.
DIY

How to Paint Pressure-Treated Wood

By Teresa Odle, Bob Vila

Hand using scrape to spread grout on beige tiles.
Building & Installing

Sanded vs. Unsanded Grout: Which Should I Use?

By Tony Carrick, Bob Vila, Katelin Hill, Updated by Teresa Odle

Person holds a trowel that contains granules of plant fertilizer.
Gardening

What Do Fertilizer Numbers Mean?

By Mark Wolfe, Teresa Odle

A pregnant woman wearing overalls stands on a ladder held steady by a younger man to change an interior lightbulb.
DIY

Why Are Lights Flickering in My Home?

By Tony Carrick, Bob Vila, Updated b Teresa Odle

When to Aerate the Lawn? Solved!
DIY

Solved! Here’s Exactly When You Should Aerate the Lawn

By Teresa Odle, Bob Vila, Manasa Reddigari

Red spoon full of diatomaceous earth.
Cleaning & Organizing

13 Handy Household Uses for Diatomaceous Earth

By Savannah Sher, Teresa Odle

Young person's hands hold garden hose with squirting water on the garden.
Lawn & Garden

14 Ways to Help Your Garden Survive a Heat Wave

By Steph Coelho, Teresa Odle