Chapter 26
Plants and Trees
5.a. One is not allowed to water any plant, even if it is growing in a pot which is not perforated at its base.
5.b. It is likewise not permitted to pour water
1) onto sown ground or
2) onto ground which is going to be ploughed or sown, even if nothing is growing there at present.
5.c. Consequently, it is as well not to eat in one’s garden on Shabbath or Yom Tov when this entails drinking or using water or some other liquid which, were it to be spilled, would have an effect on the cultivation of the garden.
5.d. A person who does eat in the garden-a case in point is a person whose sukka is in the garden-should take particular care; for example,
1) when washing his hands, he should do so into a receptacle of some kind,
2) dishes should not be washed in the garden, except inside a bowl,
3) drink remaining in the bottom of a cup should not be poured away onto the ground and
4) rainwater which has collected in a receptacle left in the garden should not be poured onto the ground.
