Growing Tarragon in the Home Garden

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) is a perennial in the aster family, grown for its narrow, glossy leaves with a sweet anise flavor. It is the key herb in béarnaise sauce and pairs well with chicken, fish, eggs and vinaigrettes. The species name means "little dragon," and the French name, estragon, comes from the same root.

Before you plant, you need to know which tarragon you're getting.

French tarragon vs. Russian tarragon

French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa') is the one cooks want. It rarely flowers and almost never produces viable seed, so it is grown only from divisions and cuttings. Buy it as a plant.

Russian tarragon is the wild form of the same species. It grows taller, up to about 5 feet, with coarser leaves and very little flavor. Any packet of "tarragon seed" is Russian tarragon.

Plants at garden centers are sometimes mislabeled. Pinch and smell a leaf before you buy: French tarragon smells strongly of anise and leaves a slight numbing tingle on your tongue. If it smells grassy, it's Russian.

In hot, humid climates, French tarragon struggles. It needs a cold winter dormancy and tends to rot in Gulf Coast heat and humidity. Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida), sometimes called Texas tarragon, has a similar anise flavor and handles southern summers far better.

Where it grows

French tarragon is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8 and dies back to the ground each winter. Check your zone with the zone and frost date lookup. Plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall.

Give it full sun, with some afternoon shade in hot summers, and loose, well-drained soil. A pH between about 6.0 and 7.5 is fine. Drainage is the main concern: tarragon roots rot in soil that stays wet, especially over winter. In clay, plant it in a raised bed or a large pot.

Planting

Set out plants in spring after your last frost, 18 to 24 inches apart. Water regularly until they root in, then only when the soil is dry an inch or two down. Established plants handle dry spells well. Tarragon needs little fertilizer; too much makes soft growth with less flavor.

Harvesting

Harvest lightly the first season. After that, cut sprigs as needed from spring through summer. The flavor is best in spring and early summer, on young growth. In midsummer you can cut the plant back by about a third to push out fresh, tender shoots.

Tarragon is best fresh. It loses much of its flavor when dried. To keep it, freeze chopped leaves, or steep sprigs in white wine vinegar for a few weeks to make tarragon vinegar.

Dividing and propagating

Plants get crowded and lose vigor after a few years. Every three years or so, dig the clump in early spring as new shoots appear, cut or pull it into sections that each have roots and shoots, and replant them. You can also root 4- to 6-inch cuttings of new growth in spring.

Winter care

Cut the dead stems back in late fall or early spring. In zones 4 and 5, add a few inches of loose mulch once the ground freezes, and pull it back in spring.

Potted tarragon still needs its winter rest. Rather than bringing it into a warm house, keep the pot in an unheated garage or shed where it stays cold but doesn't freeze solid, and water it lightly once a month or so.

Pests and diseases

Tarragon has few pest problems; aphids occasionally cluster on new shoots and wash off with a strong spray of water. Root rot in wet soil is the main threat. Powdery mildew and rust can appear in crowded, humid plantings, so give plants space.

See Growing Herbs in the Home Garden for other perennial herbs to plant alongside it.