Q&A

I have been asked to plant a balcony garden. I don't have time before shemitah. It is on the 9th floor of a tall building. Not penthouse floor. There are balconies below and above the balcony. Does this constitute planting to move plants in pots from the nursery and placing them on the tiled concrete balcony during the shemitah year?

Could you please give me detailed guidelines ahead of the coming shemitah year for my home garden that has fruit trees and a vegetable patch? I want to know about the major prohibitions, advanced preparation necessary, and modes of permissible care throughout the year.

Several days ago, I received a cactus plant in a small perforated planter. The planter is very small and soon will not have enough room for the cactus.

1. Can I plant it in my yard or in a larger planter? How should I go about doing it?
2. What should I do with the plant to prevent it from withering up and dying?

I harvested olives from olive trees that were planted during the shemitah year. The trees belong to the municipality, a local authority, and I received permission to harvest them. Four years passed from the time they were planted, and when I harvested the olives I didn't know that they were planted during the shemitah year. The trees were planted together with their clod of soil. Is there a way to use the olives? Could selling the olives to a non-Jew and buying them back help in any way?

I am in charge of the Home Owner's Association in our apartment building, and am the only religious (Religious Zionist) resident in the building. From the beginning of the shemitah year, I did not bring our regular gardener because of shemitah. Recently, neighbors have been putting more and more pressure on me to bring a gardener so our garden will look normal. The garden really does look neglected. As a religious person, I'm not sure if I'm halachically allowed to bring my Jewish gardener, and if so, what is he allowed to do?

Is it permitted during the shemitah year to cover fruit trees (apricot, in my case) with netting to protect them from birds and insects?

I know that we're not allowed to soak seeds in water on Shabbat. But I read that we're allowed to soak seeds during the shemitah year. Why is the former forbidden and the latter permissible?

I searched the website and I couldn't find a comprehensive guide on the laws of shemitah for the private garden. Does such a guide exist? I'd appreciate the link.

Jerusalem Vineyard Winery is selling otzar beit din wine grown in Shiloh – Eish Kodesh. Since the bi'ur time for wine has already passed, what is the wine's status vis-à-vis bi'ur laws? are we supposed to do bi'ur on the wine when we buy it? It is exempt from bi'ur?

Is it possible to grow wheatgrass during the shemitah year to juice it? The way it is grown is as follows: Wheat grains are sprouted by placing them on a piece of material in a barrel, and they are watered. The grass sprouts and also takes root.