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Tarragon
Safe in culinary amounts. Tarragon contains estragole (methylchavicol); concentrated tarragon essential oil is a separate, potent thing and is not for culinary use, and medicinal doses of the extract are traditionally avoided in pregnancy.
Overview
The refined anise-flavored herb of French cooking - a cold-hardy perennial you can only grow from a plant, never seed, because true French tarragon is sterile.
Tarragon is the elegant, anise-and-licorice-scented herb behind classic French cooking - the soul of bearnaise sauce, chicken tarragon, and fines herbes. The kind worth growing is French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa'), a cold-hardy perennial that dies back to the ground each winter and returns each spring, thriving in zones 4-8 with full sun and sharp drainage.
Here is the single most important fact about it: French tarragon is sterile and produces no viable seed. You cannot grow it from a seed packet - any packet labeled 'tarragon seed' is the coarse, nearly flavorless Russian tarragon. Real French tarragon is only ever propagated from cuttings or division, so you start it from a plant, and that's the whole story of getting good tarragon (see Propagation).
At a glance
- Sun
- Full sun · Part sun
- Water
- Medium
- Spacing
- 18–30 in (typ. 24)
- Mature height
- 18–36 in (typ. 30)
- Start by
- Transplant · Cuttings · Division
- Frost
- Hardy
- Spread
- 12–24 in (typ. 18)
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Temperature
- Damaged below -25°F · struggles above 90°F
When to plant
Zone 7a typical frost: last Apr 10 · first Oct 25 (spring frost runs Mar 27–Apr 24 in a typical spread of years)
Life stages
- Establishing (year 1) day 0–90 from sowing
-
Water to establish, then keep it on the dry sideevery 5 dKeep a new plant watered its first weeks to root in, then let the soil dry between waterings - tarragon needs good drainage and rots in wet, heavy ground.
-
Harvest lightly the first yearTake only a few sprigs the first season while the plant builds its root system; harvest freely from year two.
Root rot in wet or heavy soil (the main killer of a young plant)Slow, sparse growth from a poorly rooted transplant -
Water to establish, then keep it on the dry sideevery 5 d
- Spring regrowth Apr, May (yearly)
-
Cut back old stems as new growth appearsFrench tarragon dies back completely in winter; in spring, clear last year's dead stems so fresh shoots come up cleanly, and pinch tips to encourage a bushy plant.
-
Begin cutting sprigs once 6-8 inches tallevery 10 dSnip stem tips above a leaf; frequent cutting keeps the plant bushy and tender.
Dead-looking crown in early spring (normal - it's fully dormant and resprouts late)Aphids on soft new shoots -
Cut back old stems as new growth appears
- Peak harvest May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep (yearly)
-
Cut sprigs through the seasonevery 10 dSnip 6-8 inch stem tips as needed, taking up to a third of the plant at a time; flavor is best on fresh early-summer growth. Morning cutting gives the most aromatic leaves.
-
Water in dry spells; never let it sit wetGive moderate water in drought, but sharp drainage matters more - soggy soil, not dry soil, is what kills tarragon.
Powdery mildew in humid, crowded, low-airflow conditionsFlavor fading in the heat of high summer (cut back for a fresh flush) -
Cut sprigs through the seasonevery 10 d
- Winter dormancy Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec (yearly)
-
Let it die back completely and restFrench tarragon needs a cold dormant period each winter - the top dies back entirely to the ground and the roots overwinter, resprouting in mid-spring. This winter chill is why it thrives in cold zones and struggles in warm ones.
-
Mulch lightly in the coldest zones; keep it dryA light winter mulch protects the crown in zones 4-5, but sharp drainage matters more - wet winter soil rots the roots. Divide the plant every 3-4 years in spring, as flavor and vigor fade with age.
Crown rot in wet winter soil (the real winter threat, not cold)Aging plant losing flavor and vigor (divide to rejuvenate every few years) -
Let it die back completely and rest
Harvest
- Style
- Cut and come again
- Typical yield
- 30–100 sprigs (typ. 60)
- By weight
- 4–24 oz (typ. 10)
- First production
- 0–1 yrs (typ. 1)
- Established plant with plenty of fresh leafy stems
- Sprigs 6-8 inches long, cut above a leaf
- Best, most aromatic flavor on tender early-summer growth; morning cutting is strongest
Watch out for
Root Rot High
Root rot is not one organism but a group of soil fungi and water molds - Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and others - that sit harmlessly in most soils and only turn destructive when the ground stays saturated. Waterlogged soil drives the air out, the roots suffocate, and the weakened tissue is invaded and goes soft, brown, and stringy. Because the damage is underground you usually see it first as something that looks like drought: wilting, yellowing, stunting, a plant that does not respond to being watered. Overwatering, heavy compacted ground, a low spot that collects runoff, a pot with no drainage or a saucer left standing full, and cold wet soil in winter are the usual causes. Once roots have actually rotted there is no cure - this is a problem you prevent rather than treat.
Watch for: Wilting in the middle of the day on a plant whose soil is damp - the classic tell, and the reason people water a rotting plant and finish it off. Leaves yellowing from the bottom up, dull off-color foliage, and growth that stalls for no visible reason. Whole shoots, or one side of the plant, collapsing while the rest still looks fine. Soft, dark, or mushy tissue at the base of the stem or at the crown, sometimes with a sour smell. Lift a failing plant and look at the roots: healthy ones are firm and pale, rotted ones are brown or black and slimy, and the outer layer slips off between your fingers leaving a thread of core behind. Seedlings that topple over at soil level are the same problem, called damping-off.
Prevent: Drainage is the whole defense. Match the plant to the site first - something that wants sharp drainage will not survive heavy clay or a low, water-collecting spot however well you tend it. Where the ground is heavy, plant on a raised bed, berm, or slope, or grow in a container. Set plants at the depth they were already growing, since burying the crown or the root flare is a common cause of rot, and keep mulch pulled back a few inches from the stem base instead of piled against it. Water the soil rather than the calendar: check that the top inch or two is dry before watering again, cut back hard in cool weather and winter dormancy, and never leave a pot standing in a full saucer. Do not plant or dig in soggy ground, and go easy on rich amendments for plants that want it lean. Rotate annual crops, and start with clean healthy plants and fresh mix.
Treat: There is no cure for tissue that has already rotted, so act on the conditions rather than looking for a spray. Stop watering at once and fix the drainage - open up compacted soil, or move the plant to a raised, sharply drained position or a container. Lift a badly affected plant, cut away every soft dark root and rotted section with a clean blade back to firm pale tissue, and replant only the healthy parts into fresh free-draining soil or mix. Often the better move is to give up on the plant and save its offspring instead: cuttings, offsets, or divisions taken from firm healthy growth root readily and give you a clean start. Bin the rotted material rather than composting it, and correct the drainage before you replant, because the rot comes straight back in the same wet spot.
French tarragon is particularly intolerant of winter wet. Light, gritty, well-drained soil, a raised bed or a well-draining pot, sparing water, and no water sitting around the crown over winter.
Powdery Mildew Medium
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that coats leaves - and often stems, buds, and fruit - in a white-to-gray powder that looks like spilled talcum. It is not one fungus but a large family of them, each fairly specialised to its own group of plants, which is why mildew on one crop rarely jumps to an unrelated one beside it. Unlike most leaf diseases it does not need wet leaves: it thrives on warm dry days followed by humid nights, and it takes hold fastest where plants stand crowded in still air or in shade. The coating blocks light, so heavily covered leaves yellow, brown, and drop early. On many plants that is mostly disfiguring and arrives late enough not to matter; where it strips away the leaves a crop still needed to finish, it costs you size, sweetness, and quality.
Watch for: Round white powdery spots on the upper leaf surfaces that spread and merge until whole leaves look dusted. It usually starts on the oldest, lowest, most shaded leaves and works upward, so check there first. Look at the undersides too, and at stems, buds, and flower stalks, which get coated as it advances. Leaves that yellow, brown, curl, or go crisp and drop early under the coating. New growth that opens small, crumpled, or twisted where the fungus has reached the shoot tips. On plants where it gets onto the fruit, a dull gray film, russeted or scarred skin, and cracking. Late in the season, tiny dark specks scattered through the white felt - that is the fungus setting up to overwinter on the debris.
Prevent: Give plants room. Crowding and still air are the biggest single driver, so space at the full recommended distance, thin seedlings properly, and divide or prune out congested growth until air moves through the plant. Full sun and an open position help; deep shade and a still corner against a wall are where it always starts. Water at the base rather than overhead, and water early in the day so nothing stays damp overnight. Keep plants evenly watered - drought stress at the roots leaves them far more susceptible, even though the fungus itself likes dry air. Go easy on nitrogen, since soft lush growth is the most vulnerable. Where resistant varieties exist for what you are growing, choosing one is the single most effective thing you can do on a plant that mildews every year. Clear infected leaves and stems away at the end of the season rather than composting them.
Treat: Start early: sprays protect healthy tissue, they do not clean up leaves that are already coated. Pick off and bin the worst leaves as soon as you see them, and open the plant up by thinning or pruning so air moves through. On anything that regrows quickly, shearing the whole plant back forces a clean flush and beats spraying. If it keeps spreading, potassium bicarbonate, horticultural oil, or neem applied weekly will hold it - cover both leaf surfaces. Sulfur also works, but it burns the foliage of some plants, should never go on in heat, and must not be mixed with or applied close behind an oil spray. Whatever you use must be labeled for the plant you are treating: follow that label and observe its pre-harvest interval on anything you eat. Do not compost badly infected material. Late-season mildew on a plant that is finishing anyway is usually cosmetic; on a crop still filling out it is worth acting on.
Keep the plant open and uncrowded. Pruning out affected growth is usually all French tarragon needs, and it beats spraying a herb you eat.
Aphids Low
Aphids are small soft-bodied sap-suckers - green, black, gray, pink, or waxy white, and mostly wingless - that gather in dense colonies on the tenderest new growth: shoot tips, buds, and the undersides of young leaves. They breed extremely fast in mild weather, so a few can become hundreds inside a week. Their feeding curls and distorts soft growth, and the sticky honeydew they excrete coats everything below and turns black with sooty mold. Ants often farm and defend the colonies for that honeydew. A few aphids are normal on almost any plant and a healthy plant shrugs them off; only dense, persistent colonies do real damage, and some aphids also spread plant viruses as they feed.
Watch for: Dense clusters of tiny insects packed onto shoot tips, flower buds, and the undersides of young leaves. Curled, cupped, or distorted new growth that never opens properly. A sticky shine on the leaves - and on whatever sits under the plant - that later goes black with sooty mold. Tiny white cast skins left behind where a colony has been feeding. Ants running steadily up and down the stems, which is often the first thing you notice. Mottled, streaked, or misshapen leaves that do not grow out can mean a virus the aphids brought with them rather than the feeding itself.
Prevent: Go easy on nitrogen: the soft, lush growth that heavy feeding produces is exactly what aphids breed on. Check new growth once a week through spring and early summer so you catch colonies while they are still small, and rub the first few out with your fingers. Leave flowering plants nearby and skip broad-spectrum sprays - ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps do most of this work for free, and they only stay if there is something for them to eat. Keep ants off the plant where you can, since they protect aphids from those predators. Water steadily so plants are not stressed, and check any new plant over before you bring it home or move it indoors, since aphids usually arrive on something else.
Treat: Knock the colonies off with a hard jet of water and repeat every few days - on most plants that alone ends it. Pinch out or prune off the worst-infested tips rather than treating the whole plant. If colonies keep rebuilding, spray insecticidal soap or horticultural oil directly onto the insects, covering leaf undersides, and repeat weekly until they are gone; treat early or late in the day, and never spray a wilted or heat-stressed plant. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides - they kill the ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps that were about to solve the problem for you, and aphid numbers usually come back worse afterward. Anything you spray must be labeled for the plant you are treating; follow that label and observe its pre-harvest interval. On anything you eat, wash leaves, heads, and buds well before use, since aphids hide down in crowns, folds, and tight growth.
Good & bad neighbors
Varieties · 2
Slender, glossy, dark green narrow leaves on upright branching stems 2-3 feet tall; rarely flowers.
The only tarragon worth growing for the kitchen (Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa'): intense, refined anise-licorice flavor and the essential herb of French cooking. Sterile - it sets no viable seed and can only be propagated from cuttings or division, so you must start it from a plant, never a seed packet. Hardy, dies back each winter, best in zones 4-8.
Taller, coarser, paler green plant to 3-4 feet, with small greenish-white flowers that set seed.
The impostor most 'tarragon seed' actually is (Artemisia dracunculus 'Inodora'): a taller, coarser, easily seed-grown and very hardy plant - but nearly flavorless, with only a faint grassy hint of the true anise punch. Not recommended for cooking. Its one virtue is toughness; some grow it as a hardier plant and hope flavor develops (it doesn't much). Grow French tarragon instead.
Grow
Buy a French tarragon plant (never seed), set it in full sun and sharply drained soil, and keep it lean and on the dry side.
Growing tarragon starts with buying the right plant. Get a French tarragon transplant - ideally after tasting or smelling a leaf, which should hit you with sharp anise. Do not buy seed: there is no French tarragon seed, only Russian, which is a different, disappointing plant. Set your plant out after the last frost into full sun and light, well-drained soil, spacing plants about 18-24 inches apart; it grows well in a large pot, which guarantees the drainage it needs.
Keep it lean and on the dry side. Water a new plant to establish, then let the soil dry between waterings - tarragon tolerates some drought and rots in wet, heavy, or overly rich ground. Skip heavy feeding, which produces lush but bland growth. Because the plant loses vigor and flavor after three or four years, plan to divide it (or root fresh cuttings) periodically to keep a strong plant going.
Care
Keep it dry and well-drained, cut back the dead top each spring, harvest often, and divide every few years to renew flavor and vigor.
Tarragon is low-maintenance if you get the drainage right. Its main enemy is wet soil, so water sparingly, never let it sit soggy, and don't overfeed. Each spring, clear away the previous year's dead stems (French tarragon dies back completely) so the new shoots come up cleanly, and pinch the tips to keep the plant bushy. Regular harvesting doubles as pruning.
The one job unique to tarragon is renewal: French tarragon naturally declines in vigor and flavor after three or four years, and the roots become congested. Every few years, lift the plant in early spring and divide the crown, replanting a healthy division in refreshed soil (and potting up spares) - this keeps your tarragon strong and is, along with cuttings, the only way to reproduce it. In the coldest zones, a light winter mulch protects the crown, but sharp drainage protects it more.
Harvest
Snip 6-8 inch sprigs through the season; flavor is best on tender early-summer growth, and cutting keeps the plant productive.
Harvest tarragon by snipping 6-8 inch stem tips above a leaf, taking up to a third of the plant at a time - it rebounds quickly, and frequent cutting keeps it bushy and tender. The flavor is strongest and cleanest on fresh early-summer growth; it can fade a bit in the heat of high summer, so a hard cutback then brings a fresh, flavorful flush. Cut in the morning after the dew dries, when the aromatic oils are highest.
Use tarragon fresh whenever you can - it's one of the herbs whose delicate anise flavor is best straight off the plant. Strip the small narrow leaves from the stem, or use whole sprigs to infuse a sauce or vinegar and remove them. Fresh tarragon is far superior to dried, which loses much of its character.
Storage
Best fresh; refrigerate sprigs for a week, freeze for better flavor than drying, or - the classic - steep it into tarragon vinegar.
Tarragon's delicate flavor is best fresh and doesn't store as gracefully as robust herbs like sage or oregano. In the fridge, wrap sprigs in a barely-damp paper towel in a bag; they keep about a week. For the longer term, freezing beats drying: tarragon loses much of its anise character when dried, so freeze whole sprigs or chopped leaves in a bag or in oil cubes to keep more of the flavor.
The best-known way to preserve tarragon is tarragon vinegar: pack fresh sprigs into a jar, cover with white wine vinegar, and steep for a couple of weeks - a classic French pantry staple that captures the herb's flavor for months and is the base of bearnaise and countless dressings. Tarragon-infused oil and tarragon butter work the same way.
Propagation & seed saving
The whole story: French tarragon is sterile, so you can ONLY propagate it from cuttings or division - never seed. Any 'tarragon seed' you buy is inferior Russian tarragon.
This is the section that defines tarragon. True French tarragon is sterile - it rarely flowers, and when it does the flowers set no viable seed. That means there is no such thing as a French tarragon seed packet. If you buy seed labeled 'tarragon,' you will get Russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus 'Inodora'), a coarser, taller, easily seed-grown plant that is nearly flavorless - the anise punch that makes tarragon worth growing is almost entirely missing. This single fact catches out countless gardeners: to get good tarragon, you must start from a plant, never a seed.
French tarragon is propagated two ways, both easy. Division: in early spring, lift the plant and split the crown and root mass into pieces, each with roots and shoots, and replant - this is also the periodic renewal the plant needs. Cuttings: take 4-6 inch stem-tip cuttings in early summer, strip the lower leaves, and root them in moist gritty mix or water over a few weeks. Either way you get an exact clone of a plant whose flavor you've confirmed - so once you own one good French tarragon, you never need to buy tarragon again, and you can keep it going indefinitely by dividing it every few years.
Nutrition
Used in small seasoning amounts; the leaf carries aromatic oils and antioxidant compounds but isn't a dietary staple.
Tarragon is a seasoning used in small amounts, so it contributes little by volume to the diet - but the leaf is aromatic and carries antioxidant polyphenols along with its signature anise compound, estragole. Fresh tarragon supplies trace amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, and some minerals, and, like other culinary herbs, adds flavor and interest to food for almost no calories, which can help make vegetables and lean proteins more appealing.
The honest summary: tarragon is a flavor herb, not a nutritional powerhouse in the quantities you actually use. Enjoy it for what it does best - transforming a chicken, a sauce, or a vinaigrette - rather than for measurable nutrition.
In the kitchen
The defining herb of French cooking: bearnaise, chicken tarragon, fines herbes, and tarragon vinegar - refined, anise-scented, and best added late.
Tarragon is one of the pillars of French cuisine, prized for its refined, slightly sweet anise-and-licorice flavor. It's the essential herb in bearnaise sauce, one of the four classic fines herbes (with parsley, chives, and chervil), and the star of chicken tarragon, creamy tarragon sauces for fish and eggs, and tarragon vinegar for dressings. It pairs beautifully with chicken, eggs, fish, mushrooms, and creamy or buttery sauces.
Use it thoughtfully: tarragon's flavor is delicate and fades with long cooking, so add it near the end, and use a moderate hand - too much turns a dish sharply licorice. Fresh tarragon is far better than dried, which loses most of its character. Beyond the plate, it makes superb tarragon vinegar, tarragon butter, and infused oil, all classic ways to carry its flavor through the year.
Traditional & historical uses
A modest folk-medicine tradition (its old name 'little dragon' hints at snakebite and digestive uses) but little modern clinical evidence - enjoy it as a flavorful food.
This section records how people have traditionally used this plant, and what is known about the risks. It is history and general information — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to treat anything. Plants are not dosed like medicines, some interact with prescriptions, and some are harmful in ways that are not obvious. Talk to a clinician before using any plant medicinally.
Tarragon has a real but modest medicinal tradition. Its botanical name, dracunculus ('little dragon'), and old common names reflect folk uses: it was reputed to treat the bites of venomous creatures and mad dogs, and across European and Middle Eastern tradition it was used as a digestive aid, an appetite stimulant, and a mild remedy for toothache (chewing the leaves has a slight numbing effect from its aromatic oils) and to encourage sleep. The plant does contain compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in the lab.
The honest line: rigorous modern human evidence for tarragon's medicinal claims is limited, and it belongs firmly in the 'flavorful, healthful food' category rather than the medicine chest. One real caution worth noting: tarragon's aroma comes largely from estragole, a compound that is harmless in the small amounts you cook with but is best not consumed as a concentrated extract or essential oil, which is not for culinary use; medicinal doses are traditionally avoided in pregnancy. As a kitchen herb, tarragon is safe in culinary amounts; treat strong or habitual tarragon tea the same way as the extract and keep it occasional, since a repeated infusion is a much larger estragole dose than the pinch you cook with.
History
The 'little dragon' of medieval Europe - brought west from Central Asia, beloved in French cooking, and forever split into the prized French clone and its bland Russian cousin.
Tarragon's story runs from the steppes of Central Asia and Siberia, where the wild species (Artemisia dracunculus) grows, westward into medieval Europe - reputedly carried along trade routes and through the Arab world, where it flavored food and drink. Its name across languages ties back to the 'little dragon': the Latin dracunculus, the French estragon, all echoing old beliefs that its coiled, serpentine roots or its remedy for venomous bites gave it a draconic character.
Somewhere in that history the plant split into two lines that still define it. French tarragon is a superior sterile clone, selected and propagated by hand for its intense flavor and cherished in French cuisine since at least the Renaissance. Russian tarragon is the hardy, seed-bearing, largely flavorless wild type. That the good tarragon can't be grown from seed - only passed plant-to-plant, division by division - means every French tarragon in cultivation is, in a sense, a cutting of a cutting stretching back centuries.
Growing across climates
A cold-climate perennial that needs winter dormancy - best in zones 4-8; in warm zones 9+ it fails, and Mexican mint marigold is the anise-flavored substitute.
Zones 4-5: fully hardy and in its element - French tarragon relishes the hard winter it needs for dormancy; give it sharp drainage and a light winter mulch. Zones 6-7: the sweet spot - an easy, reliable perennial that dies back each winter and returns each spring. Zone 8: the warm edge - it can persist but tends to be shorter-lived and weaker-flavored where winters are mild, because it isn't getting the deep chill it wants. Zones 9-11: French tarragon generally fails here - it can't get the cold dormant period it requires, and heat and humidity finish it off. The classic solution is to grow Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) instead: a completely different plant - a marigold relative, not an Artemisia - but one with a remarkably similar sweet anise flavor that thrives in heat and serves as the warm-climate tarragon substitute. Grow it by its own rules, not tarragon's: it is a frost-tender zone 8-11 perennial, easily raised from seed as well as cuttings, and it wants no cold dormancy at all — so record it as its own plant rather than as a tarragon variety. Everywhere French tarragon grows, the constant is winter chill plus sharp drainage.
Troubleshooting
No flavor usually means you have Russian tarragon (or a seed-grown plant); wilting despite water is root rot; fading vigor after a few years is normal - divide it.
Grew fine but has almost no flavor: the classic tarragon disappointment - you have Russian tarragon, not French, almost certainly because it was grown from seed (French tarragon is sterile and can't be). There's no fixing it; source a true French tarragon plant instead. Wilting, yellowing, or dying despite watering, with soft roots: root rot from overwatering or poor drainage - the number-one tarragon killer; improve drainage and water far less. Plant looks dead in early spring: usually normal - French tarragon dies back completely and resprouts late; give it time before assuming the worst. Getting weaker and less flavorful after 3-4 years: expected aging - lift and divide the crown in spring to renew it. White powdery coating in humid weather: powdery mildew - improve airflow, space plants, and avoid overhead watering. Struggling in a hot climate: French tarragon needs winter cold; in zones 9+ switch to Mexican mint marigold.
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