Tarragon Growing Guide: How to Plant and Harvest Tarragon

There are three main varieties of tarragon:

1. 1. French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa): French tarragon is the most common to grow in an herb garden.
2. 2. Russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculoides Pursch): Russian tarragon, while available on the market, has much less flavoring and isn’t popular for culinary use.
3. 3. Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida): Mexican tarragon isn’t related to tarragon, but does taste and smell like tarragon and is therefore used as a substitute in cooking.

Tarragon is best planted in early spring, after the last spring frost. If your area has harsh winters, you may want to start young plants indoors first before transplanting it to the garden.

Tarragon is a perennial herb, meaning that it will die back in the winter but return again in spring, so if your winters stay above -10 degrees Fahrenheit you can plant your tarragon once and watch the plant regrow every spring. If your winters are especially cold, you will need to replant your tarragon every year.

Tarragon is unique among herbs in that it cannot be grown from seed—French tarragon seeds are sterile and will never germinate. Instead, you’ll need to plant an already-sprouted tarragon plant or cuttings from an established plant. To plant an already-established tarragon plant:

1. 1. Choose and prepare the soil bed. Tarragon prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade. For the soil, opt for well-draining, sandy soil—tarragon will do much better in dry soil than wet soil. Make sure to pick a spot in the garden bed with at least a foot of space in each direction or grow it in a pot to keep it contained—tarragon’s root system often spreads quickly and wildly underground (giving it the nickname “little dragon”).
2. 2. Plant the tarragon. If you’re planting a sprouted tarragon plant, plant it in a hole just a few inches wider and deeper than its root ball. If you want to keep tarragon contained in your garden, plant it in a pot underground to prevent the roots from spreading.
3. 3. Water. Immediately after planting, water the area gently to help the soil settle.

To begin your tarragon plant from stem cuttings:

1. 1. Choose and prepare the soil bed. Tarragon cuttings grow best when started indoors in a sunny windowsill. For the soil, opt for well-draining potting soil.
2. 2. Select and prepare the stems. If you’re cutting from a friend’s established tarragon plant, cut stems that are six to eight inches long, cutting them just below a node of leaves. Strip the leaves from the lower third of each stem. For the fastest results, dip the bottom of each stem in rooting hormone to encourage root growth—however, this step isn’t necessary.
3. 3. Plant the cuttings. Plant each cutting by burying the lower inch of the stem in potting soil.
4. 4. Keep moist. While the new plants are growing roots and getting established, keep the soil evenly moist.
5. 5. Transplant to the garden. After four weeks, your cuttings should have grown roots. Transplant each cutting to the garden, giving each plant a foot of space on each side for growth.

Tarragon is a low-maintenance herb, and to keep it productive requires minimal effort:

• Water. While helping new tarragon plantings get established, keep the soil evenly moist. Once your tarragon is established, it requires infrequent waterings, and the soil can be almost dry before it needs to be watered again.
• Prune. In late summer, when the weather gets hot, tarragon will bolt, meaning it will shoot up stalks of flowers and the entire plant will start to taste bitter. Prevent bolting by pruning flowers off the plant before they bloom. In addition, trim tarragon stems to keep them under two feet tall; if your tarragon gets taller than that, it may start to lean or fall over completely.
• Overwinter. If you want your tarragon to grow back again in the spring, prepare it for winter dormancy by spreading mulch around the plant to protect the roots from the cold.
• Divide. If you allow your tarragon to grow back every spring, the plant will continue to spread in your garden. To give the plant some breathing room, every two or three years you should divide the plant—meaning you dig up large chunks of the plant (cutting the tangled roots apart) and transplant them elsewhere. This propagation process is called root division.

Once your tarragon plant has grown at least ten inches tall, you may begin harvesting. Choose small stems to trim with scissors for fresh use—be gentle, as fresh tarragon can bruise easily. Harvest fresh sprigs throughout the growing season.

While tarragon leaves are best enjoyed fresh, they can be dried and stored in an airtight container for a few weeks—longer than that, and they begin to lose flavor.

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