For the purpose of memorization, the Mishnah (Shabbat 73a) groups the Melachot as if they were being performed consecutively to produce one specific product. The first group involves 11 acts necessary to produce bread, beginning with plowing the soil and culminating in baking.

GROUP-A: Melachot used in the Mishkan:

[1] Preparing showbreads for the offerings, as in Exodus 25:30: "It is on this table that the show-breads shall be placed..."

[2] Preparing dyes in order to color various fabrics (curtains and priestly garments), as in Exodus 25:4: "...sky blue wool, purple, and scarlet wool..."

1. CHORESH - Plowing
2. ZORE'AH - Planting
3. KOTZER - Reaping
4. M'AMER - Gathering
5. DOSH - Threshing
6. ZOREH - Winnowing
7. BORRER - Selecting
8. M'RAKEID - Sifting
9. TOCHEIN - Grinding
10. LOSH - Kneading
11. OPHEH - Baking

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Note: The order in which the Melachot are listed here is slightly different than the order in the Mishnah. The number in brackets refers to the order of Melachot as listed in the Mishnah.

Melacha #1 [2] - CHORESH: PLOWING

Av Melacha: Plowing soil.

Principle: Preparing or enhancing the ground for planting.

Toldot: Fertilizing, making furrows, leveling, weeding, removing stones or garbage, watering the soil, or softening the ground.

Prohibitions (Patur aval Assur):

1. Sweeping a dirt floor (considered leveling the ground).

2. Pulling a heavy bench across a dirt floor which will inevitably dig an undesired furrow (P'sik Reisha).

Gezeira: Playing ball on soil, because one may come to level the ground (for the sake of the game) while playing.

Melacha #2 [1] - ZOREI'AH: PLANTING

Av Melacha: Planting seeds in the ground.

Principle: Enhancing the growth of a product growing in the ground.

Toldot: Watering garden plants, increasing sunlight for such plants (e.g. in a greenhouse), pruning, grafting, etc.

Examples of prohibitions (Patur aval Assur):

1. Washing one's hands over or spitting on (unsaturated) grass or dirt ground.

2. Throwing peels onto the ground in a place where they will turn into fertilizer.

3. Moving a potted plant to a place where it will receive nourishment from the soil. Some potted plants are actually considered attached to the ground and moving them would involve a Torah Melacha. (Moving any plant is Muktzah.)

4. Letting fruit seeds (inadvertently) drop to the ground.

Gezeira: Enhancing the growth of products that are not attached to the earth or getting nourishment from the soil.

For example, one is prohibited from doing any act that allows direct sunlight to shine onto plants -- e.g. opening the blinds/curtains. Opening the blinds before the sun comes in, if one doesn't care about the positive effect of the sunlight on the plants, is permitted.

In time of great need (e.g. where the room is stuffy and dark, with no place else to go), one is even permitted to open the blinds while the sun is present, as long as one doesn't care about the positive effect of the sunlight on the plants.

Closing the blinds when the sun is present is permitted (even when the sunlight would have ruined the plants).

Similarly, one is prohibited from placing flowers in water when the petals will open up more.

Takana: It is prohibited [because of exertion -- Tircha] to fill a vase with fresh water for flowers, even if they will not grow or open anymore.