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Composting - red worms for composting
Expert: Greg - 10/27/2009
Question
I live in New Hampshire and started a compost pile (just chicken fence on a unused area of the back yard). I have been emptying my grass bags full of clippings in there and now that fall is here now dumping my leaves there. Now the pile is almost overflowing the fence. I was thinking about buying some red worms to speed the composting, but I read that they do not survive in temps below 40F. I don't want to waste my money as in 2 weeks 40F will be the normal high temp and for the next 4 months will be colder. Wont see above 40 again until late March. Do they actually die or just go into a hibernation type thing?
Answer
Hello Jerry
Let me break this down in a Few ways.
First of all, PLEASE Mix up your Compost pile well with the Grass Clippings and Leaves, if you can throw a few shovelfuls of regular garden soil in the mix, this will act as an activator, and speed things up. Can you? Chop up the Leaves as small as possible, the smaller the matter is before it goes into the Pile, the quicker it will decompose. As Winter approaches, the Snow should provide enough moisture, but if we get a dry spell, keep it moist, but do NOT Soak it. Turn it over till it freezes.
An Active Compost Pile "Can" reach Temperatures of up to 150 degrees, under Ideal circumstances. As the Seasons change, this is not going to happen. BUT the center of the pile, should remain in the Temp. needed to sustain Worms. With that in mind, the Worms will still not do much at that point. I don't think they just die, but I am not a worm expert, I make my Pile, and they always seem to find it.
If it was me, I would wait till Spring to add worms, but again, I have never added worms to my pile, and my Neighbor grubs through it when he goes Fishing, and he marvels at how many are in there.
I hope this help
The Best of Luck
Greg
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