Sean Baker

I still remember the first backyard picnic BBQ I tried to host on my own. I’d just bought my starter home—barely enough grass to justify a mower—and I was determined to inaugurate it with burgers, friends, and a thrift-store picnic table I’d power-washed the night before. The food was tasty enough, but I underestimated the […]

I used to think composting was only for people with sprawling country gardens and time to spare. When my partner and I moved into our 600-square-foot bungalow in the city—complete with a postage-stamp backyard and a single sunny balcony—we were hauling a full trash bag of food scraps to the curb every week. The guilt

When my partner and I bought our first home, the backyard was a blank slate—just a patch of overgrown grass and a rickety old fence. We were dreaming of garden beds, cozy seating areas, and winding paths. But like most new homeowners, our budget was tight. We had to get creative. Over the next few

A few years ago, I stood in my backyard, staring at a patchy lawn, a couple of struggling rose bushes, and one very confused hydrangea. I’d spent more weekends than I’d like to admit trying to “beautify” the space, but nothing seemed to thrive. The bugs were either nonexistent or invasive, and the soil always