Randy French, age 8, of Cumberland, Md., for his question:

IS THE TOMATO A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?

Most people consider the tomato to be a vegetable because it is generally used as a vegetable. However, botanists consider the tomato to be a fruit.

Probably no other garden product has as many uses as the tomato. The fruit is one of the best sources of vitamins A and C. Tomatoes are used in salads and in many prepared foods.

The tomato is the leading crop among those canned in the United States. It is one of the most important market garden, truck farm and greenhouse food crops.

Plant breeders have done a lot to improve the tomato during the past years and they have added to the fruit's usefulness. Its yields have been doubled and varieties with larger, smoother, more even shapes and meatier pulps have been developed.

The tomato is not hard to grow. It is a warm season crop that is usually transplated. Plants that are six to eight weeks old are taken from the greenhouses or hotbeds and transplanted into a field or garden about two weeks after the last frost of spring.