Artemisia dracunculus
Tarragon
Common names: French tarragon
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 40 cm, rows 50 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Planting
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
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Description
Tarragon is a fine herb of French cuisine, with a warm, slightly sweet anise aroma. The more aromatic French tarragon does not produce viable seeds, so it is grown as a plant in the garden, while the sturdier Russian tarragon can be sown, it tastes milder.
Care instructions
Plant tarragon in a sunny spot in well‑draining, not overly wet soil. Trim it regularly in summer to keep it bushy and prevent hardening. In harsh winter conditions, cover it with leaf mulch and divide the clump every three to four years, otherwise the flavor will fade.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingApr–May
HarvestJun–Sep
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, lean
Give tarragon loose, free-draining soil; sandy loam with plenty of humus is ideal. It does not tolerate waterlogging, so loosen heavy clay soils with sand before planting. A nutrient-rich soil is good for growth; just do not put it in soil that is very rich and permanently wet, as that harms the flavour.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
In spring at the start of growth (March/April), work in a layer of mature compost shallowly, supplemented with a little horn shavings for a slow release of nitrogen. On a poor site you can top up in summer with well-rotted compost. Avoid sudden surges of nitrogen; they drive leaf growth but weaken the flavour.
Overwintering
In autumn, cut the shoots back to half height and cover the root zone with leaves, brushwood or fir branches. The sensitive French tarragon in particular needs this protection. In a pot, overwintering is safer: place the pot bright, cool and frost-free (cellar, stairwell) and wrap the container against ground frost.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Division
True French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus ‘Sativa’) is largely sterile and cannot be reliably propagated from seed. Only vegetatively do you stay true to type and aromatic. You have two tried-and-tested ways:
Division (spring): Every three to four years, lift the perennial from the soil in early spring, as soon as the first shoot tips become visible. The rootstock is heavily matted. Divide it with a sharp knife (with thick clumps, if need be with a spade) into segments with two to three buds each. Work quickly and replant the pieces at once so that the roots do not dry out, and water well. Division rejuvenates the mother plant and improves growth in the following years.
Cuttings (summer): In summer, cut soft shoot tips 8 to 15 cm long just below a leaf node. Remove the leaves from the lower third. Insert the cuttings singly into seed compost or moist sand and keep them bright but not in full sun, and evenly moist. After about four weeks they have usually rooted. Overwinter young plants from late-summer cuttings frost-free and plant them outdoors only the following spring after the last frosts.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Tarragon yourself
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