Tarragon

Origin & history

Tarragon comes from southern Russia, Central Asia and Siberia and reached Mediterranean cooking through the Arab world in the Middle Ages, where France above all turned it into one of its central kitchen herbs — no sauce béarnaise without it. Botanically it belongs to the genus Artemisia, making it a relative of wormwood and mugwort, an unusual family for a culinary herb. The species name dracunculus means “little dragon” and refers to the coiled, snake-like roots.

Varieties

Two very different plants are sold as tarragon. French tarragon has a fine, distinctly aniseed scent but sets no viable seed — which means every packet of tarragon seed necessarily contains Russian tarragon, coarser and a touch hardier still, but with almost no flavour. When buying, only your nose helps: rub a leaf, and the French type smells intense at once while the Russian stays grassy.

Care

Tarragon wants it warm, sunny and above all free-draining; feed sparingly, because rich soil costs flavour. Cut the shoot tips regularly through the summer or the clump falls apart and goes woody at the base; a hard cut at the end of June brings a second, tender flush. Cut back to a hand’s width in autumn and cover with leaves or brushwood in cold sites — grown in a pot it can simply move to a sheltered house wall.

What can go wrong

It is not the cold that kills it but winter wet: on heavy soil the rootstock rots, and a raised, sandy bed with some grit is the best precaution. Tarragon comes up late in spring, often not before May — so mark the spot and do not dig it over prematurely just because nothing seems to be there. Older clumps go bare in the middle and lose flavour; divide them in spring every three or four years and replant the strong outer pieces. Dense old stands show powdery mildew in late summer — cut back hard, plant further apart and water at the base in the morning.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

Cut young shoot tips, ideally before flowering — afterwards the foliage turns thin and bitter, so it is better to harvest regularly. Drying is not worth it, the aroma almost entirely disappears; freezing it chopped works well, and the classic winter store is whole sprigs in white wine vinegar. In the kitchen it belongs in sauce béarnaise and mustard sauces, with chicken, fish and eggs and in pickled gherkins — always added towards the end of cooking.

Frequently asked questions

When do you plant tarragon?

Between 1 May and 15 June, 40 centimetres apart in a sunny, free-draining spot. Buy it as a potted plant or a root division. Pick only lightly in the planting year so the clump can build up; from the second year it yields far more.

How long can I harvest tarragon?

From mid-May to the end of September, taking young shoot tips and never more than a third at once. Little and often beats rare and heavy: the clump stays dense and the leaves tender. From October on, leave it be.

Is tarragon winter hardy?

Yes, in the ground it comes through winter reliably and dies back completely above ground. You can leave the dead stems standing until spring, where they hold leaves and snow over the rootstock. In a container the freezing rootball is the weak point.

Does tarragon grow in a pot?

Yes, allow ten litres and about 30 centimetres across, with a loose sandy mix and a drainage hole. Potting compost is soon exhausted, so add fresh mix whenever you divide it in spring and the yield stays steady.

Does tarragon flower, and can I still use it then?

French tarragon barely flowers here and sets no viable seed; if flower panicles do appear, the leaves below them turn thin and bitter. Cut those shoots out and soft new growth follows. Anyone raising it from seed inevitably ends up with the flavourless Russian kind.