When is the earliest that I can safely add worms to my garden?

Question

I live in northern Indiana and it is currently snowing. I want to add worms to my garden. Should I wait for it to warm up, start raining, or what?

Answer 1

It is best to add worms when the ground is thawed out long enough to let them get safely into the subsoil where it will not freeze. It can be done day or night at any temperature above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, if the ground is thawed. Worms will not tolerate freezing. They will get safely underground in an hour at most. If you have your worms ready and the weather doesn't permit putting them into your garden, you should put them in moist peat moss in a plastic freezer bag in the refrigerator. The cold will slow their metabolisms and lower their food consumption. They will survive on the peat until you can put them outside. You can bury them, but be careful not to put them too deep if your soil is heavy, or they will be crushed. Even active compost will cool off pretty fast, when applied in a several inch layer on frozen ground, so compost would mainly help the worms after a thaw.