Ed:

No, they need all the foliage to grow roots. Cutting them back will
make more foliage, not roots. Roots are what you want.

John!

Jag Man wrote:
We nurtured some asparagus plants from seed in a planter box
for a year, trnplanting to the well cultivated soil in the garden
in June. They are growing well, I believe. Small shoots come up,
which taste delicious, but not big enough in diameter to
prepare for a meal. Left alonw, they shoot up into
tall, thin lacy growth. I understand they have to go through 2-3
seasons
before big enough. In the meanwhile, should I be trimming them
back once in a while? I did cut them back to nearly nothing
when I transplanted them.

TIA
Ed