3,716. Plowing an Orchard

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 3:2

An orchard is a place with three trees in an area large enough to plant a seah of seed (about half a football field). It makes no difference whether these trees bear fruit or if they belong to three different people; they are treated as if they were all fig trees. If such trees would be able to produce 60 maneh of dried figs (somewhere in the vicinity of 50-55 lbs.) each, the whole field may be plowed because of them. This is the case so long as there’s enough room between the trees for cattle to pass with their accoutrements.

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 3:3

Let’s say that there were fewer than three trees in a beis seah, or that there were three but only one of them was fit to produce 60 maneh of fruit and the other two weren’t, or even if two trees were fit to produce 100 maneh but the third wouldn’t produce a significant volume. In all of these cases one may only plow the part of the field needed by the trees. This is a circle in which one could stand with his basket picking figs.