By: Halacha Yomit team of OU KOSHER

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 zeraim). 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 Deah 296:2) writes that this prohibition only applies to Eretz Yisrael. Outside of Israel, one may plant seeds in any proximity. One may even mix seeds of various species together and disperse them across ones garden.