If you keep them in the shade they should be fine.As far as freezing temps go we have hit 19 and I just put a moving blanket over them. My winrow has 2 to 3 inches of frost in the morning yet is deep enough that the worms just move down.

wow. it won't get that cold here. thanks for the info!

How deep is your winrow? It very occassionally gets down to -20F here but not or long. I vermi-compost in my basement in the winter and organic-compost outdoors the rest of the year. It doesn't take long for my outdoor piles to thaw in the spring. Must be some heat in those piles all winter.

Dave Nelson
Racine, Wi.

fam62cc The windrows start off about 3 feet high by 8 feet wide. I got into worm composting to help with the ever growing pile of manure left from our 2 horses. The pile ranges in age from several months old to thrown on today. So yes the temps on the newer side reach 130 to 140 degrees if not more. On the flip side in the summer when it is close to 100 there is enough mass they can escape the heat and evaporation takes over to keep them cool.