Worm Digest - Re:overwintering accidental redworms

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bcomplex
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A Fertile Cocoon

Posts: 7

overwintering accidental redworms - 2005/11/27 18:54 Glad I found this community of compost-heads! Last week I turned a big heap I stacked up in September using lots of cow manure. I also added a chunk of redworms I found in my kitchen compost bin. It's now wall to wall redworms. I finished the job and covered the turned heap with a 6-inch blanket of spoiled hay, but now I'm wondering if those guys are going to freeze to death. The heap is 5 ft wide and 3 feet tall, and I live in Zone 6b - single digit temps several times during the winter. What would you do?

Thanks!

Bcomplex

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redhen

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A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 686

Re:overwintering accidental redworms - 2005/11/28 12:02 I am assuming that pile is in contact with the ground. I might surround the pile with bales of straw and cover with a tarp. Bury some manure or produce regularly and don't disturb it too much. I bury pockets of old grain in my outdoor bins and the temps stay between 60-85 all winter (NC). The worms stay feeding on the surface and at the edges of the grain. There is steam coming from those bins sometimes. All is not lost, if the temps get too cold. The adults will bury down into the ground or not make it. When the weather begins to warm the cocoons will hatch and your population will soar again in no time. Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.

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bcomplex
User

A Fertile Cocoon

Posts: 7

Re:overwintering accidental redworms - 2005/11/29 14:21 Thanks for the advice, Susan. I've decided to invest in the worms' futures by setting up an indoor bin. I'm pretty sure the original pioneers came from a horse stable where I often get rotted sawdust/manure for my garden. They sure seem to have healthy appetites!
Barbara

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