I think keeping records is useful to remind you of what may have happened when you sowed something years ago, and what you may want to do differetly. Because of my work, I tend to go overboard on record keeping, and I use binders, with one lasting for 2 or 3 years. If I had a notebook computer that I could take outside I would probably use the computer but I use file paper and sharpie pens (sometimes different colours for different events).I keep records firstly on trades sent and received, seeds purchased, plants purchased. I list the sender's or recipient's address and the items. My sowing page consists of few columns with number, date, name, origin (sender) and results. The results column contains dates of germiation, plant out, flower, fruit and probably an indication of a picture (I photograph everything I grow), and how I liked it. It is a bit much, but that's just me. I take the binder out when I am planting direct so I can update as I sow, and don't have to rely on memory. There are many guides online with templates and suggestions of what you should record. I selected the ones that suited me. I think it's all a matter of preference. I like being able to curl up on a sofa with my binder when reviewing and planning the garden for the next year.

Hi Stevie, Thanks for that. I had checked out Tatiana's database before, but couldn't figure out how to make the queries that I was hoping for. All of the data views are just lists by categories of various sorts. I kind of got excited when just now stumbled upon the ***NEW Multi-category Search***. Unfortunately, it isn't really user friendly. I was hoping that there would be categories that I could select from a pull-down in each of the boxes. However, I also just now noticed the link to the seed catalog (Tatiana's TOMATObase Seed Catalog - http://tatianastomatobase.com/seed-catalog/html/), which does have some good filters to use, albeit not too many attributes to choose from. It will suffice for what I'm trying to accomplish. What I'm hoping to ultimately find is a database that I can query and have an option to either view the data in columns and rows (a spreadsheet view per se) or be able to export the query results into a spreadsheet file or a text-delimited file of some sort, that I could then import into Excel so I can do my own filtering and sorting. Do you know of anything like that online for vegetable, particularly tomato, growing data? I'm a pretty good Googler, but I haven't been able to find what I am seeking. Below is a link to a spreadsheet that I put together using tomato data from Wikipedia. That's the end-state format that I'm hoping to achieve when I find a database that has all of the important tomato attribute data and with an extensive list of varieties. https://www.kwajnet.com/wp-content/uploads/List_of_tomato_cultivars_Wikipedia.xlsx Thanks, Bob

The bank should have a standardized form they can give you in advance to fill out . It has everything on it and also has extra lines for anything not listed . One thing that never gets accounted for is all the little things like nails , screws, misc lumber , floor protection , cleaning supplies etc . I could not believe how these things really added up to quite a bit of $ . Especially if you are building a fairly large home . If I ever build again - I will add in 5% for these items . If you will be doing work during any cold weather , you may also want to consider supplemental heating costs . My guys are going through 20.00 per day in kerosene right now . Good luck .

Oh my gosh, ya'll!!! I was giving a friend a link to the board and thought I'd see what's going on while I was here. I cannot believe the spreadsheets are still going around! LOL There were only two of them that I was sending out, but I had bunches...plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, doors/knobs/pulls, flooring, subs, etc. All of the dollar figures from the individual catagories were kept in a "master" that had the running total so I could keep track of the actual amounts I was spending. We Ob'd and the spreadsheets were very specific to our build. I picked out everything before we broke ground and put my "wish list" items on the spreadsheets with the cost. Then I bargain shopped. Every time I got something from my list I'd fill in the info on the spreadsheets about where I got it and what I paid for it. It really helped keep me focused and on budget! They certainly wouldn't work for everyone, but feel free to tweek and make them your own! :o)