How cold is cold up there? How many days/nights below freezing?

I find my worms do best if I can keep the warmth for them in the 70° range. If they get much colder, they just won't feed much.

Moni

I'm in Beaverton and keep the worms in the garage. They slow way down in the winter. It would probably be very similar outside. If you have to keep them outside, just be aware they won't eat as much. If for some reason they die (doubtful), the cocoons will hatch next spring when conditions are right and you'll be set for next year.

Good luck,
Mariann

I am in Seattle and I keep my worms outside in full shade in the summer and in the garage in the winter. It's a little warmer in the garage so they are a little more active. Plus I don't get rained on when I feed them.

I don't think they would like sweaters. Too itchy ;)

Well, the worms probably wouldn't appreciate home-made sweaters (but man, it would be easy to make them due to the lack of arm holes!) as much as I would...

Kelly S ::who is a size medium and loves the color red!::

Two ideas I've heard about for winter-time warming are below. I've not tried either of these.

There are two easy ways to keep your bin warm in the winter. One is that you can add organic materials like grass that will decompose and create heat. I don't really know anything about this, so I'd ask someone on gardenweb to get specifics because you do need to manage the heat so it doesn't get too hot.

Another is to use a low wattage lamp to heat the bin. My friend suggested you could do this by setting the bin up on two cinderblocks, then wire a ceramic light socket underneath with a low wattage (20, 40) bulb. Put a coffee or beer can around the bulb with holes poked in it. The can will collect heat and diffuse it into the air, which will flow around the underside of the bin.

Jeni

Hi Stooge--I live in Boise and it does get colder here than by you. I leave mine outside under the lean-to shed on the south side of the yard and cover the box with a blanket. They do OK, although as mentioned, they do slow down.
One year they did freeze but the cocoons hatched and I had worms again.
Happy gardening...................Tom