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Herbs

Tarragon growing guide

The king of French cooking herbs with a sophisticated anise-like flavour. French tarragon must be propagated by cuttings — it doesn't set viable seed. Perennial.

Photo reference

Use this real-world photo as the main plant reference, then compare it with the botanical drawings below for leaf, flower and harvest details.

Tarragon real-world photo reference (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa)
Wikimedia Commons · Kolforn (Kolforn) I'd appreciate if you could mail me (Kolforn@gmail.com) if you want to use this picture out of the Wikimedia project scope. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 truetrue · CC BY-SA 4.0
14-21 daysGermination
60-80 daysHarvest
30 cmSpacing
0.5 cmSow depth
FullSun
HardyFrost
1.5 cm/weekWater
6-7.5pH

Planting calendar by climate

Use these windows as a public guide. Plotera can personalise tasks around your saved garden, location and planting dates.

ClimateSowTransplant / PlantHarvest
TropicalApr - AugApr - AugJan - Dec
SubtropicalMar - AugMar - AugJan - Dec
MediterraneanFeb - SepFeb - SepJan - Dec
TemperateMar - SepMar - SepJan - Dec
CoolMar - AugMar - AugJan - Dec
AridMar - SepMar - SepJan - Dec

Botanical reference

Compare the whole plant first, then check the leaf, flower and harvest detail to identify what Tarragon should look like as it grows.

Tarragon whole plant

Whole plant

Overall shape, height, branching and growth habit.

Tarragon leaf detail

Leaf detail

Leaf shape, edges, colour and vein pattern.

Tarragon flower detail

Flower detail

Flower colour, structure and where blooms appear.

Tarragon harvest / detail

Harvest / detail

Fruit, root, seed, pod or the strongest identifying feature.

Cooking and eating ideas

A quick garden-to-table guide for using Tarragon after harvest.

Raw / fresh

Use small amounts fresh in dressings, marinades, herb butters, teas, and finishing salts.

Cooked

Add earlier to roasts, soups, stews, sauces, breads, beans, and grilled vegetables.

Store / preserve

Dry sprigs, freeze chopped leaves, make herb salt, vinegar, oil, or tea blends.

Try: Roast herb mix, Herb salt, Infused oil, Tea blend.

Good companions

Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant

Avoid near

No avoid list yet.

Growing note

Buy as a plant — French tarragon seeds sold online are usually the inferior Russian variety.

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Create a free account to save your garden layout, personal planting calendar, water and fertiliser schedules, seed inventory and harvest logs.

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