Planting Mixed Species

When planting a Garden, (in my case herbal) how do I manage planting more than one herb in the same bed without violating the prohibition? Or is it simply prohibited to sew more than one type of seed in the same bed? Is there a way around this? Such as placing dividers in the soil? Does the prohibition only apply to large fields/vineyards? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

There is no ban on cross-breeding vegetables outside of the Land of Israel. The ban on cross-breeding (along with most other land applicable mitzvot) apply only in the land of Israel.

Our sages derive this unique exception to the ban on cross-breeding from the relevant verse itself. The verse says: "You shall not plant your field with mixed seed." Our sages derive from here that the words 'your field' refer only to a field in the land of Israel Israel as that is the only place in the world where the land belongs to us.

I will mention that if you live in the Land of Israel, there are different requirements in terms of required distance between seeds depending on the spicies. One must contact a rabbi directly.

 

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