What to do with nascent or fully formed orlah fruit
Question
Just this morning, we planted a garden in our new home (on Rechov Mekor Chayim in Jerusalem). We now have trees – apricot, peach, clementina, pomegranate – all beyond the four years, and a grape vine in its second year. If grapes do appear, what do we do with them?
Answer
If you planted trees this morning – even if they are mature, ten-year-old trees – the orlah count starts from zero, unless you purchased them from a supervised nursery and made sure the clod of soil encasing the roots did not crumble too much.
The same holds true for the grapevine. If you did purchase them from a supervised nursery and transplanted them carefully, then, indeed, their halachic age continues from their nursery years.
For our list of supervised nurseries: en.toraland.org.il/supervised-nurseries/
We have an orlah calculator to help you calculate when the orlah years are up, when the fruit is neta revay, and when your trees are in their fifth year: en.toraland.org.il/services/halachic-calculators/
What should you do with orlah fruit?
Optimally, nip it in the bud!
I'm not sure what the status of your other fruit trees are (from a supervised nursery or not), but in general, it's best– from both halachic and agronomic points of view – to clip the buds of the tree or grapevine in their orlah years. This way, the trees can focus their energy on their root systems, branches, and leaves, and not waste energy on fruit that will be destroyed. Doing this will also improve the quality of the fourth-year fruit (neta revay) that you will be able to eat. From a halachic standpoint, clipping the buds ensures that no forbidden fruit will form and accidentally be eaten, which is a grave prohibition. If you already have nascent or fully-formed orlah fruit, remove it as soon as you can and dispose, for the reasons specified above.