Saplings and gourds combine within a Beis Seah.

(Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel): If there are 10 gourds in a Beis Seah, one may plow the entire Beis Seah until Rosh Hashana.

Question: Until when are trees still considered saplings?

Answer #1 (R. Eliezer ben Azariah): Until the fruits are Chulin. (The Gemara will explain this.)

Answer #2 (R. Yehoshua): Until its seventh year.

Answer #3 (R. Akiva): As long as people still call it a sapling.

(R. Shimon): If a tree was cut and produced fresh shoots, if the stump is less than a tefach tall, they are considered saplings; if the stump is a tefach or more tall, they are considered trees.

(Gemara): The Mishnah taught that saplings and gourds combine. This is as long as there are more saplings than gourds.

Question (R. Chananya son of R. Hillel): Isn't it logical that the Mishnah is referring to Greek gourds (which are particularly large and resemble a tree, rather than ordinary gourds)?

Rebuttal (R. Mana): But the Tosefta teaches that three cucumbers, three gourds and three saplings combine and one may plow the entire Beis Seah for them. (If we can combine cucumber which isn't a type of gourd, certainly we can combine all types of gourd?)

Answer: R Chananya was speaking about the next clause of the Mishnah - Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said that if there are 10 gourds in a Beis Seah, one may plow the entire Beis Seah until Rosh Hashana - about that R. Chananya son of R. Hillel said, "Isn't it logical that the Mishnah is referring to Greek gourds"?

Question: The Mishnah asked - Until when are trees still considered saplings? (R. Eliezer ben Azariah answered - Until the fruits are Chulin.) When is this? Until they are redeemed (and can be eaten - i.e. the fourth year) or until they are automatically Chulin (i.e. the fifth year)?

Answer (R. Aba bar Yaakov citing R. Yochanan): Until they are automatically Chulin.

This follows the opinion of R. Yehoshua who taught in a Baraisa that even though the Chachamim mentioned several ages concerning saplings - 5, 6 or 7 years (there is no contradiction, as) grapevines follow the 5th year (when they are automatically Chulin); figs follow the 6th year (as their fruits take longer to develop, so in the 5th year, they are still considered saplings); olives follow the 7th year (as they develop even later).

Question: We see that a young fig tree produces many fruits (in its 5th year), so how could it still be called a sapling (until the following year)?

Answer (R. Yudan): It only produces a lot of fruit when the trunk is cut into two.

(The Mishnah taught that R. Shimon said - If a tree was cut and produced fresh shoots, if the stump is less than a tefach tall, they are considered saplings; if the stump is a tefach or more tall, they are considered trees.) R. Shimon and R. Eliezer ben Yaakov both said the same thing - as R. Shmuel bar Nachman/ R. Yochanan said citing R. Eliezer ben Yaakov - One who cuts his vineyard - if the stump is less than a tefach, it is obligated in Orlah because of Maris HaAyin (as it looks like a sapling). The Chachamim reason that only when it was cut down to the ground is it obligated in Orlah.