Book Review: Vibrant Harvest by Sandra Mao
Reviewed by Master Gardener Florence Carey
It was a chilly Gardening Saturday at the Millennium Library when I first spotted this book. It was “New and Noted” on a shelf of gardening books the thoughtful library staff had put on display for the many gardeners milling about the library, chatting gardens and exchanging seeds. The bright cover featuring a selection of both vegetables and flowers, drew me in. There’s nothing like some beautiful and artistic photographs of vibrant heirloom tomatoes, squash and multi-coloured cauliflower to make a gardener dream of planting, growing, harvesting, and eating the rainbow.
Colourful photos fill the book Vibrant Harvest by Sandra Mao.
Vibrant Harvest, Cultivating a Kaleidoscope of Colors in Your Vegetable Garden with Heirlooms, Modern Hybrids, and More, by Sandra Mao, was published by Cool Springs Press, of The Quarto Group (USA) in 2026. The author, Sandra Mao, lives and gardens in a city in Southern California, and created the brand Sandra Urban Garden. You can follow her Instagram page @sandra.urbangarden to see more of her photos, as well as tips and tricks for a vibrant city garden.
The author’s stated purpose for the book is to “help you in developing a visually stunning and bountiful garden that offers an array of delectable flavors.” This book is well-suited to beginning gardeners with detailed instructions on how to plant, grow and maintain a garden, but is also inspirational to all, including more experienced gardeners, showing tips for arranging a garden, choosing a colour palette, and reviewing a number of newer seed varieties available. A well-rounded guide, it also includes information on soil and amendments, pests and diseases, and instructions for preserving your harvest, including a few recipes.
The first two thirds of the book is called “Meet the Veggies”, and provides an introduction to a broad selection of vegetables in the following sections:
● Root Vegetables
● Stem Vegetables
● Leaf Vegetables
● Bud and Flower Vegetables
● Fruiting Vegetables
● Seed and Pod Vegetables
For each vegetable discussed, there is a descriptive introduction and photographs, as well as information on planting, care, pests and diseases, companion plants, harvest and storage, and a listing with a brief description of the author’s “Favorite Vibrant Varieties”. Each selection includes consistent headings so the book is easy to navigate and read. If you enjoy flipping through seed catalogues for ideas and inspiration, you will undoubtedly enjoy this section. An index at the end of the book helps you easily find any sections of particular interest to read or revisit.
The last third of the book consists of three more general sections titled:
● Building Your Vegetable Garden
● Garden Care
● Preserving and Enjoying the Harvest
These sections are high-level and introductory, but for the beginning gardener include easy-to-understand descriptions of how to read a seed package, calculate average frost dates, and make a seed sowing chart. They provide a basic review of fertilizing, watering and plant supports. They address dehydrating, freezing, canning and fermenting. A modest selection of five recipes follow, including Fresh Herb Seasoned Salt which sounds easy and delicious, and could make a great gift idea if you have a bountiful harvest of herbs.
It’s important to note that the author is a newer gardener in USDA Hardiness Zone 10B but most of the suggested selections should do well in Zone 3 too.
Example of informative sections within Vibrant Harvest. Photo by Florence Carey
This book has clear and concise explanations, inspiring ideas, fun photography, and useful tips drawn from real urban gardening experience. I was particularly happy to find a section on Pink Celery, after encountering it for the first time on the MMGA Garden Tour. It was the first time I had heard of or seen pink celery, and it was growing so beautifully in a garden box. The garden owner was enthusiastic, and happy to share her experience of growing it. The book covered its requirements, when to start seeds, care tips including blanching (protecting the stalks from direct sunlight), when to harvest and how to store, including tips for freezing, and three of the author’s favourite varieties.
I was really glad that I picked up this book and really enjoyed perusing it. The author’s fun and approachable tone and her joyous approach to gardening, along with all of the garden and vegetable photography, made it truly heartwarming and inspirational. This book would make a great gift for someone starting out in gardening in their backyard, with the idea to produce some of their own food. After reading it I have a few new vegetables to try, including pink celery, and some friends will likely be getting herb salt as gifts, once I’ve played with the recipe to make it my own.