Asparagus Advice Please

[Lumpy]

I found out that we have asparagus - I like eating it but have never grown it so.....
the bed is approx 16 x 5, is completely overgrown and the asparagus was apparently weedy thiis year.
So...if we remove all of the dead stuff, cover it in a deep layer of manure (I have looked in my books and got contradictary info on asparagus and poo), then cover with black plastic for a couple of months will this do any good?
All advice greatly received

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I'm no specialist! But would only only presume the "Asparagus" was weedy due to competition from weed, which in my initial research when we set our beds up two years ago is a definite No! No!

I'd personally clear the beds as best as, from weed that is! Bang on a mulch of home made compost, nothing too heavy in nutrients! n try let it recover slowly!

I certainly wouldn't cover it totally putting in total darkness and restrain it's natural growth! Think this one is a "We'll make the best of a bad thing" n let it get on with it on it's own n persevere!

After all! This is a crop once in can serve it's purpurse for many years coming!

[Nicos]

Liquid seaweed feed, fresh seaweed if you can get it, sand and a bit of crushed gritting rock salt and sand should sort it out!
Seriously!

And just cut back the stems and bend the remains over so they don't act like a funnel directing rainwater down into the heart of the plant.

Lucky you!...I had to leave mine behind when I came here and so far not made a new bed.
*sob

[Lumpy]

Ta both good advice

[Kristen]

Apart from weed-it and mulch-it as already recommended we cover ours with woven weed suppressing membrane (i.e. lets the water through, but not the light) during the winter - until the first spears appear. It stops weed growth during the winter, so reduces the hand weeding effort.

If your bed is smothered in weeds it may be tough for a year or two getting on top of that - hand weeding is the only way I'm afraid.