Tarragon
How serious are you about your food ?
When it comes to tarragon there is a real trade off between the type of tarragon you grow and it’s flavour.
In this article we will discuss:
- The 3 main tarragon types
- How to grow tarragon indoors
- How to use tarragon
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The 3 main tarragon types
There are 3 types of tarragon herbs:
- Russian Tarragon – easy to grow (from seed)
- French Tarragon – great flavour but not easy to grow
- Spanish or Mexican Tarragon – not a good as French tarragon for cooking but easy to grow.
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That is why when growing tarragon at home the key question is – how important is your cooking for you ?
French Tarragon
If you are serious about cooking then French tarragon will need to be your choice.
French tarragon has a very delicate aromatic flavour and is one of the most important herbs in French cooking & recipes. Ideal for seasoning salads, sauces, pickles, etc.
However you can’t grow it from seed, as it is grown by root division – best option when growing tarragon at home is to buy tarragon plugs.
Typical recipes:
- Tarragon Cream (for filling small vols-au-vents, canapes, etc.)
- Tarragon Sauce (for poached fowl)
- Tarragon Sauce (for small cuts of beef)
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Spanish or Mexican Tarragon
A potential substitute for French tarragon is Spanish or Mexican tarragon. Which is also known as Mexican mint marigold and Texas tarragon, or winter tarragon.
The advantage is that you can grow them from seed, and is easier to grow. However it’s important to realise that it has less flavour than French tarragon, although it does have a slightly stronger aniseed flavour resulting in slighty differently tasting meals.
Typical recipes:
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Russian Tarragon
Russian tarragon is easy to grow, it can be grown from seed and is a very hardy and fast growing plant. It prefers poor soil and can cope with not enough water and neglect.
However it is much, much weaker in flavour than French (or even Spanish) tarragon and is often not even classified as a herb.
Typical recipes:
- We haven’t added typical recipes.
- If using russian tarragon then make sure it’s fresh
- And add 3 to 4 times as much as when using French tarragon
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How to grow tarragon indoors
Growing Tarragon in pots using soil
Growing French Tarragon is very easy – just buy a plant.
On the other hand Spanish or Mexican Tarragon is available from seed and can be planted outside in a pot on a balcony or terrace or inside on a sunny windowsill (or using lighting)
- Sow thinly into soil at a depth of 6mm
- Will germinate in 14 to 28 days
- Thin the seedlings or transplant leaving 60 cm between plants
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Growing Tarragon using Hydroponics or Aquaponics
Tarragon can be grown using both hydroponics and aquaponics.
Three Ways to Grow Tarragon at home
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How to prepare Tarragon
When you want to use Tarragon at home there are 2 items to consider.
Firstly the video below will show you how to cut tarragon:
Secondly, once you have Tarragon at home you will need to consider making Béarnaise sauce.
We make absolutely no excuse in focussing on only 1 recipe – it is simply the one most closely associated with the herb. Again, the video below will provide ‘step by step’ cooking instructions:
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How to start
Hopefully our guide showing how to grow tarragon indoors has helped.