How to Grow Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)

By Matt Gibson

Tarragon is aperennial herbthat has been tame for culinary purposes dating back to 500 BC in Ancient Greece . Originally from Siberia , tarragon has been naturalized to temperate climates all throughout Asia , Europe , and the United States . In the fifteenth one C , tarragon was bring in to France , where it became an instant sensation , and one of the most wide used spices in the region .

Growing one to three feet high , the tarragon shrub is n’t very cosmetic . Multiple woody branches are decorated with dark-green , glossy , thin , lance - shaped leaves with pointed crown and savorless margins . In the summertime , tarragon plants begin to flower , producing yellowish - green peak atop each of the works ’s stem .

tarragon plant Artemisia dracunculus

Tarragon ’s flowers are actually composite blossoms . Each flowerhead is composed of over 40 different single floweret . Tarragon flowers do not produce usable seed . If the flower develop seminal fluid at all , they will most likely be sterile , or incapable of germinating . Tarragon plant life can only be spread by root cuttings , rootstalk sprouts , and theme division .

Tarragon can be consumed fresh or dried . It has a mordacious , peppery bite and a sweet , licorice - like sapidity . The herb is usually used to season acetum , and is an of the essence ingredient in dijon mustard greens . Fresh tarragon leaf are often tossed directly into salads , and fresh and even dry out tarragon foliage are used to flavor various marinade , sauces and dishes made of fish , chicken , cheeseflower , and egg .

Aside from its culinary time value , tarragon is also used traditionally in thefolk medicineof various countries around the earth . It has been used to treat scurvy , insomnia , hyperactivity , loss of appetite , digestive issues , and arthritis pain . Eugenol is a centre that is made from estragon which is used in odontology for its anaesthetic and antiseptic property . In improver to its culinary use as a flavoring agentive role , tarragon leaves are also highly nutritive , provide a skilful root of vitamins A and C , as well as a long list of essential minerals , which includes iron , iodine , calcium , and manganese .

harvested tarragon with text overlay how to grow tarragon herb gardening

Varieties of Tarragon

truthful estragon , the most democratic variety of tarragon , is also commonly shout out French tarragon , a deed which was most likely given due to how salient a role tarragon has roleplay in the history of the Gallic culinary art . True , or Gallic tarragon is also unremarkably referred to as estragon . French estragon is a member of the sunflower family . This article focalise on growing French Artemisia dracunculus specifically .

Aside from dependable tarragon , two other popular salmagundi exist , False , or Russian estragon , and Mexican Mint estragon . fictive tarragon is less of a culinary basic than its counterpoint , and is say to have an substandard scent and gustation . The branchlet of Russian estragon can be treated like asparagus , and are quite similar in grain and savour . Mexican Mint tarragon , a member of the Marigold family , is a stellar exchange for French estragon and is well suited for gardener who live in climate which are too warm for develop French tarragon .

Growing Conditions for Tarragon

Hardy toUSDA zonesfour through eight , tarragon should be implant in emplacement that meet full sun exposure . Give each flora stack of space to grow , putting at least 18 to 24 inches of room between plant life in your garden beds in Holy Order to cater plentiful air circulation . Giving your tarragon plants extra place will also help keep their quickly - propagate root from push nearby plants in the same layer .

Ideally , tarragon should be provided with fertile , well - drain soil , but the hardy herbaceous plant plants will adjust to poor , dry , orsandy soil mediums , as long as they are well - draining . The reason tarragon is adaptable to a wide stove of soil stipulation is due to its vigorous root system . Tarragon is tolerant of waterless climates , and once plant are found , they do not postulate frequent lacrimation , aside from during drouth - similar conditions . Tarragon is hard hardy to zone five during the wintertime and , if provided with a sheltered locating and a thickheaded layer of mulch in station to protect the plant ’s crown , the herb will likely live in zone 4B as well .

How to Plant Tarragon

start up Artemisia dracunculus seeds indoors in or around April or prior to the last expected frost in your neighborhood . Sow four to six source in each Mary Jane using a nutrient - rich , consistently moist pot dirt . To advance fast germination , cover the seed with just enough soil to hide the seed and keep the pots in a low-pitched light environment at room temperature . fragile seedling down to one industrial plant per pot , celebrate the healthiest - looking specimen from each container .

Move transplant outdoors into full sun locations once the temperature have become fairly warm . offer tarragon seedlings with a well - draining fat soil medium , ideally a sandy soil base with a inert pH between 6.5 and 7.5 . To ameliorate gentle wind circulation and give the herbs vigorous roots plenty of space , allow 18 to 24 inches between each plant life in the garden bed .

Before transplanting , repair the soil with caboodle of constitutional materials , such as well - rotted manure , insect castings , or compost , as well as some medium that is design to better wet retention , like peat moss or perlite , and last but not least , add in two even tablespoonful of morning star - rich ivory meal .

To transpose tarragon into your garden beds , dig a hole that is a couple of column inch bombastic than the theme ball and double the breadth . Ease the root ball into the hole and fill the hole back in around the root bollock with newly ameliorate ground . mildly chuck the grunge down around the root chunk to tamp down it into spot and water to help ease the works ’s conversion and to get the soil to patch up in around the groundwork of the flora .

French estragon is well - fit to container horticulture due to its vigorously disseminate root organisation . The ascendent of True tarragon are made up of rapidly spreading , twisted , zigzagging runners . Giving tarragon its own dedicated outer space allows its base system to expand freely without close up on the district of neighboring plants .

Tarragon can also be establish directly into the ground , though its roots will likely take over more than its comely share of worldly concern . To restrict the roots of your Artemisia dracunculus plant without hurt the plants , you could plant it in a openhanded pot and lay to rest the pot into the soil . This method will give the roots of the Artemisia dracunculus plant plentiful elbow room to spread within its own space , but will keep the roots from encroaching on the space occupied by other nearby plant .

Care for Tarragon

To provide a fat land for tarragon , beds should be amended as delineate above , with multiple mediums , including organic materials , water memory materials , and bone repast . Once established , tarragon does not need a passel of fertilisation , but plants can greatly benefit from a couple of fish fertilizer treatment during the grow season .

During the wintertime , tarragon goes dormant and starts to die out back . Cut the stems back to about three inches after the foliation dies off and frigid weather condition begins . Near the conclusion of wintertime , reduce back all stay stem to one inch and restore the filth with a top dressing of compost or manure .

Prune tarragon now and then throughout the growing time of year to keep the industrial plant from flowering , keeping the height around two infantry . If tarragon plants are allowed to get tall than two human foot , they are prone to falling over , damaging their stem in the procedure . In cold clime area , mulch around your tarragon industrial plant in late autumn as their roots will necessitate some insulation to survive the winter . swerve back any brown leaf in the leaping to further novel tidy increment .

How to Propagate Tarragon

Create newfangled plants from prow or antecedent cuttings as needed and divide tarragon plant during either give or fall once every three to four year . Dividing your tarragon plants will help keep them healthy and avoid overcrowding their roots . reliable tarragon can not be spread from seminal fluid , as the semen the plant grow are uninventive . If you purchase Artemisia dracunculus seminal fluid , it will be the Russian variety , which miss the typical Artemisia dracunculus flavor .

For stem film editing , take six to eight inch pieces and let them develop roots by placing them in dampen sand for four weeks during the summertime . Dividing the radical of tarragon plants is challenging to say the least , as the serpentine root system is very hard to disencumber . If you ca n’t get them to disentangle , just slice up through them with a spade and prune the roots back 2 inch . Then , replant the divisions in your bed and water well to help the new works get established .

Garden Pests and Diseases of Tarragon

Though there are no serious issues bear on tarragon plants when it comes to cuss infestation , overly soaked or soggy soil , peculiarly when drainage is an issue , is a worry for estragon plants , which are susceptible to multiple disease problem have-to doe with to overwatering , including downlike mildew , powdery mould , and root rot . fend off overhead lachrymation to keep leaf wry and fix any drainage issue that derive to your attending immediately . If you are growing in containers and your works commence to turn brown , cut back the plant back and let plentifulness of time for it to start out recuperate . It has belike just go inactive , and will be ready to produce again when spring comes back around again .

How to Harvest Tarragon

As a perennial , French tarragon should be reap right up until the last twenty-four hour period of summer . However , be certain to cease harvesting the leaf at a minimum of one calendar month before the time of year ’s first Robert Lee Frost are set to take place . Once the stem maturate to around six inches grandiloquent , you could start harvesting . To make certain that the leaves you are taking are retaining the honorable possible flavor , keep the top of the plant life trimmed back during the peak of the season . This will also make your estragon works grow into more full and shaggy-haired specimens .

How to Store Tarragon

As is the case with most herbs , the leafage of the tarragon flora are best when used fresh from the works . Keep fresh tarragon leaf store in the fridge roll in a paper towel and stored in a plastic bag , where it should stay fresh for two to three week .

To dry out tarragon for extended warehousing , hang stem in bunches facing upside down in a dark , dry localization . To extend the depot of fresh leave , place unused tarragon sprigs into airtight container and place them in the freezer . dry Artemisia dracunculus will store for up to three years . Frozen tarragon should be used within one year .

With a delicate flavor that is similar to anise , licorice and mint , it is no wonder why tarragon has been a part of culinary custom for grand of years . Tarragon is a big familiar plant in the garden , but it is also a great fellow traveller herbaceous plant in the kitchen too . It couple well with just about everything , enhancing the savor of kernel and vegetable knockout likewise . Tarragon should be added to dish near the end of the cookery physical process , as too much heat exposure causes the herb to become a bit bitter . Tarragon is a phallus of the herbal flavor quartet know as amercement herbs , along with chervil , Allium schoenoprasum , and parsley . These four herbs are normally used together to flavor popular dish from all over the world .