Colleen Vanderlinden
School
Wayne State University, University Of Detroit Mercy
Expertise
Organic Gardening, Vegetable Gardening, DIY Home Repair
- Colleen has been obsessed with gardening for over 25 years. She's gardened in everything from a borrowed plot to containers under lights to her current 10-acre piece of sandy soil in northern Michigan.
- Currently, she has a sprawling vegetable and herb garden, a berry patch, several large perennial borders in her yard, and, of course, many houseplants.
- She and her husband bought a fixer-upper of a home in northern Michigan, and much of her DIY knowledge has come from rehabbing that older home to make it more modern and comfortable. It's been a family project, and her four kids have learned quite a bit about home improvement along the way as well.
Experience
Colleen is the author of two books about gardening ("Edible Gardening for the Midwest" and "Vegetable Gardening for the Midwest," published by Lone Pine) and articles for national and regional outlets. In addition to writing and editing about home and garden topics, she works full-time in marketing. As an avid gardener, Colleen primarily shares what she's learned and teaches others to do the same. She focuses on gardening in an environmentally friendly way and doing so on a budget. Coleen knows that time and money are often the two things that keep people from having the garden of their dreams and loves helping people figure out how to make it work. On any given weekend, she's busy with garden DIY projects, reuse/recycling/repurposing, or propagating plants (so she can have more plants for less money!).
Education
Colleen studied English and education at Wayne State University in Detroit. She's fused those two loves into a career helping people make the homes and gardens of their dreams.
House Digest uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the always-evolving conversations surrounding design and home trends, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert takes and tutorials from our talented team.
As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.
Stories By Colleen Vanderlinden
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Pesky dark red rust stains can make any otherwise clean surface look dingy. But what can you do when you have to have metal in damp areas like the bathroom?
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Finding the right house in this market isn't easy, but one U.S. region is more attractive than the rest. Find out where home owners will flock to in 2023.
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Mad Men might have aired years ago, but it still has a lingering influence on design. Here is how to style your home in the mid-century style it's famous for.
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This house is a celebrity in its own right, as a well-known home in Wyoming that is full of '80s style and flair. You've got to see the inside of this place.
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Owning a private island might be a dream for many, and recently this very dream-worthy home 75 miles away from New York City sold for just under $3,000,000.
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From homes to highrises, if you're in the market for some real estate investing, here are some wonderful Black-owned businesses you need to know about.
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With rate hikes on the way, you may be wondering what the housing market is going to look like. It'll still be a seller's market, and here's why.
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Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in style. To that end, a centerpiece of the celebration is what's being called the Superbloom.
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Tina Turner and her husband, Erwin Bach, just bought an impressive, 10-building compound in Switzerland, which they plan to use as a "weekend retreat."
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If you're considering buying a house with a septic system, read this first. Here is everything you need to know about septic tanks, including pitfalls to avoid.
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With cottagecore seeing massive popularity in everything, it's no surprise that people are gravitating more toward the English cottage style of decorating.
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A great real estate agent will have a multitude of qualities that makes the process of buying or selling a home much smoother for their clients.