by johnah on October 31, 2020
French Tarragon Plant Care: Tips For Growing French Tarragon
The following are some tips for growing French tarragon plant care. These tips will help you with your next trip to the garden or even just when you want to have a nice meal at home.
1) Watering Your French Tarragon Plants Regularly
If you’re not sure how often to water your plants, it’s best if they get enough moisture each day. If you don’t water them regularly, then they’ll start to wilt and die.
You must give your French tarragon plants plenty of water every time they need it. They may seem like little green peas, but their roots do require a good amount of moisture to stay healthy.
2) Keep Them Indoors During Winter Months
During winter months keep your French tarragon plants inside during the cold weather months. This way they won’t freeze solid and die off.
3) Use A High Potting Mix To Grow French Tarragon Plants
High potting mixes are great because they provide lots of room for your French tarragon plants. However, make sure you use one that doesn’t contain any fertilizer or other chemicals.
You don’t want to add anything harmful into your soil when watering your French tarragon plants. Always follow the directions on the bag of high potting mix that you buy.
4) Add Bone Meal To Soil For Extra Nutrients
After about a month of your French tarragon plants being in the ground, you can give them a little bone meal. This adds a lot of nutrients and other helpful things to the soil so that your French tarragon plants thrive.
Don’t add too much though or it could cause problems. Just follow the directions on the bag of bone meal that you buy.
There may be other tips for growing French tarragon plants, but these are the most important ones. Using these tips will help your French tarragon plants thrive and grow.
You’ll be enjoying their wonderful flavor in all of your meals in no time at all!
We also focus on growing herbs indoors and out. This blog-post is about growing tarragon outdoors.
The following paragraphs describe all about growing tarragon from seed.
Growing Tarragon From Seed
Tarragon is an herb that is used in cooking all the time. It has a distinctive taste that people either love or hate.
The plant only grows to be two feet tall and usually has narrow leaves. You can grow tarragon from seed if you want to have fresh tarragon all year round. Here are some tips for growing tarragon from seed:
This page is dedicated to growing tarragon indoors. It contains info on the tarragon plant, how to grow tarragon indoors, tips on growing tarragon and more.
The Growing Tarragon Plant
Tarragon is an herb that belongs to the Artemisia family. It is known to help prevent tumors and some forms of cancer.
It can also help with stuffy noses and has a mild anesthetic quality to it. The herb has been used for culinary and medical purposes for over two thousand years! It is popular in French cooking and is often used as an aphrodisiac.
The Growing Tarragon Plant
If you have never eaten tarragon before then you are in for a treat! This herb is most popularly known for being used in the classic French Green Bean Salad.
It is also great for other stuff like chicken, fish, and potatoes. Make sure you dry out the leaves and use them later because they lose their flavor after three weeks.
If you want to grow tarragon plants then you can do so by starting with the seeds. You can collect the seeds from the tarragon plants that you buy at the grocery store.
Or, if you have dried out tarragon leaves, you can crush them to get the tiny seeds inside to use to grow your own plants.
After you have collected the tarragon seeds then all you have to do is plant them. You can either plant them indoors or outdoors.
If you want to plant them indoors then all you have to do is get a pot, mix some soil with sand, and then moisten the soil. Plant the tarragon seeds about a ¼ inch deep. Once they are planted, water them and put the pot in a place where it will get some sun but not too much sun. The temperature should be about 60 to 70 degrees. Tarragon plants grow best in temperatures like these.
If you want, you can also plant the tarragon seeds outside. Plant them directly into the soil and make sure they get plenty of sun but are protected from strong winds.
You will have to water the plants every day and keep an eye on the temperature. The ideal temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees.You can harvest the leaves whenever you want to, but the best time is either in the late summer or early fall.
These tips on growing tarragon plants should help your plants grow quickly and produce large quantities of leaves. You can then dry out the leaves and use them later for cooking!
Tips For Growing Tarragon
The following are some tips for growing tarragon:
1. Tarragon grows best in sandy, loamy soil that is well drained.
2. It is best to start tarragon from seeds, although you can also start it from root cuttings or separated shoots.
3. If you want to start tarragon plants from seed, then you should soak the seeds in water overnight before planting them.
4. You can start tarragon indoors about eight weeks before planting them outside.
5. The seeds should be planted 1/4 inch deep.
6. Once planted, the seedlings should receive lots of light but not direct sun, protection from strong winds, and some water every day.
7. Transplant the seedlings outdoors once the weather has warmed up and the threat of frost has past.
8. Tarragon can also be propagated by taking root cuttings in early spring or by separating shoots from existing plants in the fall.
9. It grows best in sandy, loose soil with lots of sun and warmth.
10. This herb is ready for harvest about three months after it has been transplanted.
11. You should trim the larger leaves when you transplant it and again when the plants are four inches high.
12. Use sharp garden shears to cut the leaves off at the base.
13. Just remember that tarragon leaves have a stronger taste before the flowers bloom so harvest them before this happens.
14. Be careful when you trim the leaves because tarragon has a vertical feeder root system so if you cut off too many roots, the plant will not do well.
15. Also remember to fertilize the plants with either an inorganic fertilizer or compost.
16. It can tolerate wet soil but not standing water.
17. If the leaves turn brown or yellow during the winter this means that your soil is either too dry or too wet.
18. Prune the dead foliage in the spring before the plant starts to grow.
19. All tarragon plants should be divided every three years to make them grow stronger.
20. Tarragon can be harvested when it is between one and two years old, but it is best to wait until the third growing season.
21. To harvest, cut off the tops of the plants with some of the roots.
22. This process can be repeated for six months.
23. Store the tarragon in a glass with a damp paper towel.
24. The leaves can be stored this way for about a week.
25. Tarragon can sometimes be attacked by botrytis, so make sure that the plants do not stay wet too long.
26. Another problem is rust, which turns the leaves brown and causes patches of it on the stems and leaves.
Did you know?
Tarragon is a popular herb in many countries and is used to flavor many foods, particularly French dishes!
Whether you are using tarragon in cooking or want to grow it for its beauty, these tips should help make growing it an easy process for you.
Harvesting Time
This is a very important time for tarragon. The leaves are at their best when they are young and it is important that you take them when they are ready, but not too early.
You can trim the leaves throughout the growing season to give your plants a little trim but only harvest the larger amount from the plants after three years.
Harvesting is an important time because it not only provides you with the taste of the herb, but it also helps the plant grow more.
When you pick leaves from your tarragon plants make sure that you leave enough on the plant so it can continue to grow. Also make sure you pick leaves from different parts of the plant.
This helps it to grow and produce a better harvest for future years.
Tarragon plants can grow to be twelve inches in height and eighteen inches in width. If you have a large container you can even grow more than one plant together.
You also need to make sure that you harvest the leaves when they are dry. If you harvest the leaves when they are wet or damp, their flavor will not be as strong and they might even mold.
The best time to harvest the leaves is in the morning. Gather the leaves and put them in a dry, cool location with good air circulation until you are ready to use them.
If you are not going to use your tarragon right away, you can freeze it. Just put the entire stems in airtight containers or plastic bags and stick them in the freezer.
You can also dry the leaves and store them this way as well.
If you do not want to harvest the tarragon plant, you should at least trim it back. If you do not trim the plant, it can become bare in some areas and may not look as appealing.
You should trim it back every year or when it starts to look unruly.
Trimming your tarragon plants helps promote new growth and will ensure a healthy and hearty plant next year.
It is important to keep your tarragon plants free from weeds and pests. You will need to spray the plants with water every once in a while so that the soil remains damp but not soggy.
Tarragon plants do not require much fertilizer but if you want to give them a boost you can add some around the plants. Just make sure that you follow the instructions on the package for the correct amount for your needs.
Once your tarragon plants are fully grown, you can start trimming the leaves as you need them. You can snip off leaves as you go along; they should be ready to harvest after three years.
So there you have it, that is how to grow and take care of tarragon plants so that you can have fresh tarragon anytime you need it for your favorite meals or recipes.
Tarragon is a wonderful herb that has a unique and delicate flavor that is great for seasoning a variety of different meals. Whether you are going to use it fresh or dried, growing tarragon is very easy and you will be able to enjoy its wonderful flavor for years to come.
Other Uses
If you have never had the experience of using tarragon in the kitchen, you might be wondering what sorts of meals or dishes call for this special herb. Well, tarragon has a mild anise flavor and is great in chicken, fish, veal, potato and egg dishes.
It also goes well with other herbs such as dill, thyme, sage, marjoram and mint.
Some people even use it to make tisane which is a tea. Tisanes are drinks that contain dried herbs.
Most people drink them for their therapeutic or medicinal benefits.
Tarragon also contains antiseptic properties and can even help treat an upset stomach.
Tarragon is a very versatile herb that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. You will be surprised at how many different meals and recipes can benefit from the use of this wonderful herb.
So the next time you are cooking something, see how tarragon can enhance the flavor even more.
There are literally hundreds of herbs and spices that can be grown at home and most of them are pretty easy to care for (especially if you have a greenhouse or sunroom). Growing your own herbs and spices can be a fun hobby for anyone and they can provide your family with fresh ingredients year round.
If you have the room, consider taking up gardening.
You can start with just a few pots on your patio or by a window and just see where it leads you. You may find that you enjoy the experience and the savings that you will get from growing and using fresh herbs and spices.
Tarragon is just one of several different kinds of herbs and spices that you can try to grow. Others include basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, lavender, turmeric, curry, cilantro and more!
Sources & references used in this article:
Rapid propagation of French tarragon using in vitro techniques by WA Mackay, SL Kitto – … on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, XXII IHC 208, 1986 – actahort.org
A protocol for in vitro rapid micro propagation of French Tarragon starting from apical meristem by GJ Minas – I International Symposium on Fresh Food Quality …, 2006 – actahort.org
Sanitation, acclimatisation and establishment, of French taragon (Artemisia dranunculus L. var. sativa) micro plants by SG Deans, KP Svoboda… – Planta …, 1989 – © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart …
Foliar application of Ca (NO3) 2 and KNO3 affects growth, essential oil content, and oil composition of French tarragon by GJ Minas – … and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants 812, 2007 – actahort.org
Propagating and Growing French Tarragon Artemisia dracunculus (L.) var. sativa by S Heidari, M Azizi, F Soltani, J Hadian – Industrial Crops and Products, 2014 – Elsevier
HERB GARDENING by CE Voigt – jhawkins54.typepad.com
Insecticidal control of some pests of culinary herbs by K Wilson, UCM Gardener – ucanr.edu
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