Everyone who contemplates a few herbs in the garden wants to grow tarragon. However, beginners may not know that the desired form is the French tarragon, sometimes called “estragon.”
It is the base for the famous vinegar essential for tartar sauce, French green salads, and many fish sauces.
Occasionally, tarragon seed is offered, but it is not the true French kind. Instead, there are two varieties of Artemisia dracunculus:
- French tarragon. A. dracunculus Sativa (Besscr) possesses a warm, rich flavor that leaves a delightful overtone of taste
- Russian tarragon. A. dracunculus Amadora (Beer), which is neither aromatic nor flavorsome.
The True Kind Is A Don
True French tarragon is a don, a plant that must be propagated by cuttings or root divisions because it does not “conic true” from seed. On the other hand, the coarser Russian variety produces a seed that is easily grown.
Still, the experienced herb grower can quickly detect the difference between the light green foliage of this weedy, flavorless tarragon and the glossy, smooth, undivided leaves of the French kind, for its narrower leaves are sometimes three-cleft on the lower portion of the plant.
The French form grows three to 4’ feet tall, while the Russian variety often reaches 6’ feet.
A Well-Drained Location
The natural habitat of the forms of A. dracunculus, high in the Steppes of Russia and southeastern Europe, suggests that the herb is rather winter hardy.
Yet the English writers from whom we get much of our information on growing seasoning plants constantly refer to French tarragon as somewhat tender and needing winter covering.
Perhaps this is because of the damp Winters in England. However, our experience with the herb for nearly 10 years indicates that it is not affected by temperatures down to 30° degrees Fahrenheit below zero but immediately succumbs to rot if the situation could be better drained.
Increase By Root Division
Instead of propagating French tarragon by cuttings, we have found that a much quicker and surer method is by root division in the Spring.
Such splitting up of old clumps is the best life insurance for the tarragon patch since the twisting roots seem to strangle each other if they are not separated every third or fourth year.
How To Do It
To make as many as ten new plants from one four-year-old clump, carefully lift the whole plant with a fork or spade. This should be done in early spring because once the stolons begin to thrust forth green shoots, the tender new growth is easily broken off.
After lifting the mass of serpent tine roots, the rest of the operation is done by hand. Loosen the soil from the brittle roots.
They remove as much soil as possible without injuring them. Then, using each stem from last year’s growth, It’s a handle, break away sections with roots and one woody stalk.
If the portion of the plant does not break away readily, a knife or pruning shears May be used. Set time newly-divided roots 18” inches apart on good soil in full sun. Keeping the plant’s right side up will be easy if a stalk of old wood is still attached.
If not, look for signs of green leaves along the white underground shoots, and do not bury these too deeply. These plants should only be disturbed again in the spring of the third year except for weeding, loosening the soil between them, and pruning old wood in April.
It is better not to crop them the first season for vinegar making, although a few leaves will gladden salads.
In the second and succeeding years, no harm is done by making two or three cuttings from vigorous plants.
Mildew Reaction
In New Jersey, where the winter temperatures rarely fell below zero, our French tarragon lived for several years without cover. But when we moved it to a low spot, where the heavy clay soil remained wet, in summer.
We had the only winter-killing we have ever experienced. When the roots were dug, there was evidence of white mildew. This will sometimes occur in gravelly soil if the ground is not kept in good filth and the clumps become crowded.
Since we moved our original plants to Connecticut, they have survived winters, where the thermometer has dipped to 21° degrees Fahrenheit and below zero without damage.
44659 by Mrs. Philip Foster