Shemitah updates: Nissan 5783

The shemitah status of vegetables, fruits, and flowers as of Nissan 5783. Which holy fruits are still available in stores and on trees?

Shemitah status of vegetables

All vegetables are now officially eighth-year including garlic, butternut squash, and pumpkin (as of Pesach).

The only exceptions are watermelon seeds, which will be definitely eighth-year in mid-Tammuz and sunflower seeds, which will be eighth-year in Elul. These dates relate to when eighth-year seeds will be available in supermarkets.

Shemitah status of fruit and holy fruit available in stores

Since the shemitah status of fruit follows chanatah, the time the fruit begins to develop, there are still many types of fruits available that began to grow during shemitah.

Shemitah fruit still available at Otzar Ha'aretz stores, Osher Ad, and Mishnat Yosef:

Apples, clementines, kiwis (Otzar Ha'aretz only), lemons, oranges, pears, and pomelos.

Note: Mishnat Yosef only distributes citruses on this list.

Fruits that may have shemitah status (hanging on trees or sold in stores), besides those listed above:

Avocados, dates (mostly dried and frozen), feijoa, grapefruits, kumquats, lychees, mangos, olives (pickled) and olive oil, pecans, plums, pomegranates, quince, and sweeties (pomelite).

Check out our shemitah calendars here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8u8mv3

Gardening and flowers

Flowers, in stores and nurseries, both annual and perennial do not require special shemitah supervision.

Turf also no longer needs special shemitah supervision and can be purchased in nurseries without requesting a certificate (as of early Nissan).

Bulbs will definitely be eighth-year status only in Tammuz. That is, when purchasing bulbs in nurseries it is important to find out whether they are imported (many are) or to request the nursery's shemitah certificate until Tammuz.