A Vegetable Garden that Contains Many Varieties Planted all Together

I have a vegetable garden (not in Israel) that contains many varieties of vegetables planted all together in a big mixture. Is this permitted?

The Torah forbids planting two species of vegetables together in one spot (klei zera’im). Chazal required that each species must be planted a specific distance from each other, so that it does not even appear that they were planted together in a mixture. The Biblical prohibition is derived from the verse (Vayikra 19:19) “You shall not sow your field with a mixture of seeds”. However, Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 296:2) writes that this prohibition only applies to Eretz Yisroel. Outside of Israel, one may plant seeds in any proximity. One may even mix seeds of various species together and disperse them across one’s garden. However, there is a form of klei zera’im that is relevant outside Israel, as will be discussed in the next Halacha Yomis.

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.