How to grow tarragon indoors

Below you will find:

The 3 main tarragon types
How to grow tarragon indoors
Example recipes and cooking advice

Item 1. The 3 Tarragon Varieties

When it comes to tarragon there is a real trade off between the type of tarragon you grow and it’s flavour.

Follow the links below for details, or read on for growing and cooking advice:

French Tarragon

One of the most important herbs in French cooking.

Russian Tarragon

Easiest tarragon to grow but weaker in flavour.

Step 1 – Select the tarragon type you need

There are 3 types of tarragon:

French – great flavour but not easy to grow
Spanish or Mexican – not a good as the French one for cooking but easy to grow.
Russian – easy to grow (from seed) and looks very pretty

That is why when growing tarragon at home the key question is – how important is your cooking for you ?

1a – French Tarragon

If you are serious about cooking then the French variety will need to be your choice.

The french one 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 it at home is to buy plugs.

Typical recipes:

Cream (for filling small vols-au-vents, canapes, etc.)
Sauce (for poached fowl)
Sauce (for small cuts of beef)

1b – Spanish or Mexican Tarragon

A potential substitute for the French one is the or Mexican one. Which is also known as Mexican mint marigold and Texas 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 the French one, although it does have a slightly stronger aniseed flavour resulting in slighty differently tasting meals.

Typical recipes:

1c – Russian Tarragon

The Russian one 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) one and is often not even classified as a herb.

Typical recipes:

We haven’t added typical recipes.
If using the russian one then make sure it’s fresh
And add 3 to 4 times as much as when using the French one

2. – How to grow tarragon indoors

There is a difference in how to grow each type of Tarragon:

2a – How to start growing tarragon

French tarragon is only available as a plant or plug. Just put it in a pot filled with compost or soil (as shown in the picture)

Spanish (or Mexican) & Russian tarragon are available as seeds.

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

2b – Give it the right amount of light

Light is very important for all types of tarragon.

Put your Tarragon in a warm sunny place. Tarragon needs at least 8 hours of ‘sunlight’ per day.

There are 2 options if you want to grow tarragon indoors:

You can either place it in a sunny position – like the window sill in the picture above.
On the other hand a very easy option is to use a grow light – for example the French tarragon on the right is growing on the kitchen floor using a grow light.

More info : The top 3 grow lights

2c – The right amount of water

The third element is water – make sure you water regularly.

Tarragon can have quite deep roots, so make sure your water reaches the bottom roots. In addition:

Spraying them a couple of times per week with water also helps
Make sure you use well drained soil, adding fertiliser or plant food when needed

Growing Tarragon in soil is not that difficult, but an alternative option is to use hydroponics. For example the kitchen hydroponic unit (on the right) will work fine with tarragon.