Question
I live on the 7th floor of an apartment building in the USA and have tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis growing in pots with soil. The pots have holes in the bottom, but there are concrete tiles under the pots, and under the concrete tiles is the tarred roof over the 6th floor of the building. Below the tarred roof is an apartment. The roots of these plants do not have any chance of reaching the earth. What is the brocha that needs to be said before eating these vegetables? Thank you!
Answer
The Brachah is Borei Pri Ha'adamah.
There is disagreement among the Halachic authorities in regard to plants growing in flowerpots with holes in the bottom, when in an apartment on a high floor, whether their status is like a planter with no holes because of the separation of the floor and of the apartments below or is its status like a planter with holes despite the separation, because it still has an absorption from the ground.
According to the opinion that its status is like a flowerpot with holes there is no question regarding the blessing; it is clearly Borei Pri Ha'adamah. Even according to the opinion that its status is like a planter with no holes, the majority of the Halachic authorities opine that its blessing is Borei Pri Ha'adamah.
(Sefer Dinei Shevi'it Hashalem edition 5768, 12 sections 6-11 and in sources. V'zot Haberachah page 374, notes 51).
