Cold Front Precautions

Matt Smith insulates the vermicompost bins at Better Farm.

We've got a bit of a cold front tearing through the North Country for the next couple of days, hopefully for the last time before we really hit the spring stride. Precautionary measures are in order to brace our worms and plants from the below-freezing temperatures headed our way throughout the weekend.

The Worms
We've got 10,000 red wrigglers living outside in our newly constructed vermicompost bins. The critters aren't fans of cold temperature, and when the thermometer dips to around 30 degrees it's definitely time to warm the worms up. Matt and Nick surrounded the bins today with straw, and threw a thick layer of straw above the worms for good measure. If you're working with worms outside, tonight's a good night to move them inside or pile them up with good insulation.

The Plants
The bulk of our plants are in the greenhouse, leaving just the asparagus, onions, garlic, peas, and lima beans outside. A layer of hay over the seedlings or seeds will do the trick for any plants you're worried about; or you can experiment with a simple cold frame (check out simple design plans here).