Skip to content
opens in a new window

Herbs

Tarragon

French

Leaves are flavored and scented like anise.

Leaves have distinctive anise flavor and scent. Use fresh or dried to flavor fish, meats, vegetables, eggs, salads, sauces. Perennial to zone 5.

Spacing: 16in (40cm)

Height: 16-24in (40-60cm)

Exposure: Full Sun - 6+ hours direct sun

French
Tarragon prefers a well-drained soil, but does not need much by way of soil amendments. Plant in a location with full morning sun and light afternoon exposure. It is very low-maintenance and doesn't require much moisture once established.
To help your tarragon overwinter, mulch around the base of the plant before a hard frost.
Young tarragon leaves can be harvested once the plant reaches 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) high. Remove sprigs a few at a time to encourage more plant growth.
The leaves are what's mainly used for culinary dishes. Tarragon is best used fresh, chopping or mincing leaves to release flavors in recipes for fish, chicken and egg. Tarragon also adds flavor to mustard, mayonaise, vinegars and buttermilk.
Tarragon is found in many northern hemisphere areas and has a flavor/scent like licorice. French tarragon is the most widely used in recipes. It is a perennial that will go dormant in winter and will propagate by root division (its flowers are usually sterile).