any asparagus growers out there? I need advice

[WhiteTara]

4. When I created our asparagus bed, we dug the trench 8' long and 12" deep

and then graduated to 18" deep so that the season would extend. You may not have planted deep enough. Do not cut the asparagus for at least 3 or 4 years and then sparingly. The bed is usually established in 7 years. I didn't feed my bed last winter and the weeds and grass really took over. I had a VERY small season this year. I have to clean it and feed it well this fall so that next year will be robust. Oh, at the end of the season when the ferns are completely dead, that is when you cut the plants to the ground. Make sure that the cuts are clean. I had a friend help me last season and he used little pruners and tore the plants. I think that maybe they got diseased. Okay, that's all I know.