<human>:  In his garden, Grandpa had counted 36 small tomatoes before going on vacation. When he came back from vacation, he counted 100 times more tomatoes. How many tomatoes grew in his absence?
<bot>: How many tomatoes did Grandpa count before going on vacation? ** Before going on vacation, Grandpa counts 36 tomatoes.
How many tomatoes does Grandpa have after going on vacation? ** After going on vacation, Grandpa has 100 * 36 = <<100*36=3600>>3600 tomatoes.
How many tomatoes grew in his absence? ** So in his absence, 3600 - 36 = <<3600-36=3564>>3564 tomatoes have grown.
#### 3564