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Growing Green with Year 3

Hello Year 3
Last year at our Harvest Festival I brought a very unusual vegetable in to your classroom.
Do you remember?
It was a vegetable called a tromboncino. 
I said I would bring in some seeds this spring for growing in class. But at the moment that is not possible.
So I am growing them at home for you instead.
The first picture was taken the day they were planted, on sunday the 19th of April.
The second picture taken today, the 29th of April,  shows they have started to grow. Not all at the same speed though.
Watching things grow is something I always find quite wonderful.
That that little seed contains all the information it needs to grow. What shape, what colour, how tall, with fragrance? 
I hope you enjoy watching  how the tromboncinos grow as more photos are posted.
Last year they took over the patch where they were planted and crept in with other plants. Then suddenly you would notice another tromboncino growing! We are still eating them. 

Bye for now,

Mrs Lewendon

 
 
6th of May
The trombonicinos have been growing well, as the pictures taken earlier today show.
The weather has been changeable and the plants are still inside away from the slugs and snails.
The two seeds which were hardly showing any signs of growing have made rapid growth and are catching  up with the other two.
The close up picture is of the shoot growing up from the first leaves on the plant at the front and on the right hand side of the other picture.
I was surprised when I zoomed in to see so much detail which I cannot see with my normal eyesight.
So interesting to look close up.
I wonder how much bigger they will be next week?The weather forecast predicts hot sunny weather for the next few days so they will need to be kept watered. Then cold weather is forecast.  The weather does effect growth. So we will see.
BBC Bitesize has lots of information about plants and growing.
14th May
Firstly apologies for no update yesterday. All done and posted but not saved correctly.
The tromboncinos are making lots of growth now. 
They have had to be protected from these frosty nights and no slugs or snails have found them yet.
The tiny shoots last week are now big leaves.
The roots are amazing too. I was surprised to see how much they have grown when I lifted a pot up.
The roots are the power house of the plant really, They keep it secure and get the food and water the plant needs to grow. 
The roots of these trombonicinos have grown so well they need more room now. 
So this weekend they will be planted in the ground and, after a few days of getting used to their new environment, will grow and grow. 
 
It is lovely to see your sowing and growing pictures too.
Your plant looks very healthy Ellie, well done.
Yours too Jacob.
 
The tromboncinos have now been planted in the ground, in a polytunnel to keep them warm, and make them grow quicker. The heat will stop so many slugs and snails trying to eat them as they like cold and damp places.
For a few days the leaves were floppy as the roots hadn't taken hold in their new environment and also it was hotter in there too which they like but just needed to get used to it.
The ground will give them the nutrients, the food. I just must remember to water them!
Now they are looking healthy they should put on lots of growth. 
They will soon need canes to grow up
I wonder how tall they will be in two weeks?
 
Good to see you are doing some growing too Harry. 
What seeds are they?
Remember to keep updating us if you can please.
13th June
Well wow! what a difference two weeks make in this growing season.
The tromboncinos have grown so much. When you compare todays photos with the last ones its hard to believe they are the same plants. They definately are though.
They were planted out about 10 days ago and didn't do much for the the first few days. They got very hot and the leaves drooped by the end of those first days. 
Then they started to grow .... and grow. 
The last picture shows a close up of the stem starting to shoot up now. They have all had to have their main shoots tied to the canes and sticks already and they will soon need to be tied in again.
The leaves are getting bigger too and the patterns on them are getting intricate (that's a good word to look up).
Maybe soon the tromboncinos will start to have flowers?
 
10th June
No flowers on the tromboncinos yet. Just lots and lots of other growth.
They seem to love the heat now and tendrils are appearing as they climb up their poles to stop them falling down. The tendrils are like their own homemade string. They are in the close up picture. They grow really fast and then wrap around anything nearby. Fascinating.
The plants are used to the heat now and seem to love it. Some other plants don't.
They have doubled in height since last week and are now 112 cms tall.
Imagine if they kept growing like that.... Jack and the Tromboncino stalk could be a whole new story!
 
 
17th June
Well the tromboncinos are really powering on now.
The tallest plant was 112 cms last wednesday and now it is 179 cms tall!
Thats 67cms growth in just 7 days.
What would be the average growth per day be?
The most exciting development is the appearance of the first tromboncinos. They are in the second photo.
The flower hasn't opened yet. So it can't be pollinated until then.
The tromboncino will only start to develop after that.
So next week maybe we will see our first tromboncino growing.
24th june
The tromboncinos have grown so, so fast this week. Too large to properly measure now.
They have been twisting and turning as they climb up the canes and now are going sideways along the top pole.
They get tied in to stop them flopping and in no time at all they need doing again. But now they are beyond reach they will twist and twine their own ways.
The actual tromboncinos are getting bigger now. The longest one is already 16 cms long.
They are thirsty too. The leaves start to droop and shrivel if they don't get a regular soaking.
Exciting to see how they are changing. Hope you agree.
 
1st july
Another week of rapid growth.
It is so amazing how that little seed has now grown into such a big plant that is still growing more and more. 
They are now further along the top pole and anything they can reach with their tendrils. Lots of new shoots are coming from lower down too. A jungle is slowing happening.
The biggest tromboncino last week was 16cms long, about as long as a pencil. That one has grown 4 times bigger in the last seven days and is now 65cms long. They would surely do well in any vegetable sports day for the fastest growing!
See how long 65 cms is and make a guess about how it will be next week.
Hope anything you are growing at home is doing well tool  
8th july
The tromboncino plants are taking over!
They are continuing to grow fast and not just from the top shoot. New side shoots are creeping out and trying to cover other plants. 
The biggest tromoncino, which was 65cms last week and had increased its length 4 times, is now 90cms long. it has not grown so much in length as last week but is filling out more.
There are lots of others starting to grow now. At the last count there were 11 growing. 
So hopefully some will soon be ready for eating. 
15th July
Well, haven't the trombonicinos done well?
The fruits are growing bigger and bigger. My dog 'Rora wanted to get in the picture this week to show you just how big the biggest one is now.
They will keep growing over the summer and I will bring some in next term for you to see. 
We can cut them up and at one end there will be seeds for the whole  growing cycle to start again next year.
Whilst taking my picture I heard a buzzing nearby and saw this bumble bee in a flower covered in pollen which I thought you might like to see too as this is how the fruits are pollinated and grow.
I hopy your summer is a lovely one and you can get out  and enjoy all the nature and plants around you
With best wishes 
Mrs Lewendon
 
Your Growing Pics!