Into the Allium Patch

Today I got about 16,17 marble-sized Purple Onions into the ground, next to the garlic and the little purple onion plants I rescued from the compost heap. I don't know that the soil is as loose as they might like...this coming fall I MUST layer up horse maure and leaves and compost to deepen the beds. Our next door neighbor gave us the onions...he's already planted 2 pounds of onion sets and didnt want any back from me. I ended up turning all the extras into the heap. Also in the heap are some "compostable" plates made by Earth Shell. I peeked at them today, two weeks after they settled in, and they seem to be about halfway "composted". The heap was warm, with hundreds of worms...think I'll have to heat things up a bit.

Saw the first warbler in our yard today...not sure which kind...deeply yellow throat, white wing bars, dark streaking on flanks and head...argh ! wish I had gotten a better look ! Jamie and I are going out to the Blue Ridge Center tomorrow morning to monitor Bluebird boxes before the big Nor'Easter due to arrive sometime after Sat evening. We probably won't see anything but nests in the boxes, in fact, bluebird babies at this time are pretty risky...no reliable bugs about yet. I'ave heard that the parents have had to stuff their babies full of dried seeds and berries in the absence of insects during cold, wet Springs...and the babies die :<