Hi Sandy,

I'm a newbie myself, but was interested in the answer to this a while back since I'm also up north. It seems like the consensus is that worms can handle cold (they'll just slow down), but will definitely not make it if there is a freeze.

Do you have a cool basement or garage that won't freeze? If you kept a bunch of worms in there over the winter at low temps (someone can probably give you a good range), they will probably be very inactive and would essentially be hibernating. The normal issues with feeding, worrying about moisture, etc., may not apply.

I also have an outdoor bin (rubbermaid) that i don't intend to bring in over the winter. I'm just going to hope that enough cocoons are there for a viable population in the spring.

Here are some ideas if you want to keep the worms going through the winter: http://www.redwormcomposting.com/category/winter-composting/

I live in central texas. I leave my worms out in the winter. The summer is a different problem though... this year I left my bin in an area that gets hit by the sun. :( Sad worms.. not sure if the bin is going to recover. Also been having LOTS of black soldier fly maggots in my bin competing for food.