Agriculture in Ancient Israel

• Ancient Israel had a seasonal climate with cold winters and hot summers, so agricultural crops and fruit trees need to be planted at the right time and tended carefully in order to bear fruit during the right season. Many plants are annual and die back during the winter.
• The climate is relatively dry, so plants need to have a water supply to grow well - sometimes this is around natural rivers or springs; elsewhere, farmers dig irrigation ditches to provide water.
• Typical plants used in metaphors include cultivated plants such as vines, wheat and fruit trees (e.g. figs or pomegranates) and wild vegetation such as grass and flowers.