Sheviis 1:7-8

Sheviis 1:7

Saplings and gourds combine to form the requisite number in a beis seah (i.e., ten saplings). Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says that if there are ten gourds in a beis seah, the entire plot may be plowed until Rosh Hashana because of them.

Sheviis 1:8

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says that a tree is considered a sapling until its fruit becomes permitted (i.e., the fifth year). Rabbi Yehoshua says they are saplings until the seventh year. Rabbi Akiva says they are saplings as long as people refer to them as such. Rabbi Shimon says that if a tree was cut down but fresh shoots grew from the stump, up to a handbreadth (inclusive) is considered a sapling; more than a handbreadth is considered a tree.