How to Grow Tarragon

Tarragon, with its slightly sweet licorice flavor, makes a tasty addition to many of your recipes and it is very easy to grow. This delicious herb is excellent in sauces, salads, soups and omelets. It can also flavor butter, mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar. Grow this herb in your garden, or inside the house. Here's how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Tarragon seeds or shoots
• Dry sandy soil
• Water
• Container or flower pot (optional)
• Garden shovel
• Garden clippers or scissors
• Straw or mulch

1. Plant your tarragon seeds or shoots in a sheltered area with full sunlight and rich, dry soil. The soil needs to have good drainage so add sand if necessary and water as needed.
2. Thin your plants to a distance of 12 to 18 inches between plants.
3. Remove the shoots of flowers from the plant to ensure a nice fresh supply of leaves by stimulating regrowth. Discard the shoots after they you cut them.
4. Pick the leaves anytime that you want fresh tarragon.
5. Cut the plants back in the autumn.
6. Bring the plants inside if possible over the winter or cover them with mulch or straw as protection against the winter weather.
7. Check out several online nurseries that usually carry French tarragon plants (see links in Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• Good drainage is necessary so that the roots of the plant do not rot.
• You can grow tarragon in a container outside or inside.
• Tarragon's crop can be picked anytime, but he main crop is ready for harvesting between June and October.
• Tarragon can be frozen or dried.
• French tarragon will not grow from seeds because the plant doesn't produce flowers. To reproduce cuttings must be taken.
• Don't cut more then 1/3 to 2/3 of a branch at any time during the growing season or the tarragon plant will not be able to produce a regrowth.