Tarragon – Herb garden

Tarragon is a low maintenance herb that makes a perfect addition to your garden plants at home. Even for beginners in gardening, it is easy to grow. The best thing is that you can utilize it in more ways than one. It has a particular flavor and aroma, making it excellent for culinary applications. It additionally has an abundance of vitamins and minerals, allowing it to provide a wide array of health benefits. It is used to treat digestion problems, poor appetite, water retention, and toothache.

Common Name: Tarragon, Estragon

Scientific Name: Artemisia dracunculus

How to grow and maintain Tarragon:

Soil:
Tarragon(Artemisia dracunculus) grows best in warm, dry, well-aerated soils and does not tolerate wet or saturated soils. It grows well in neutral pH soils (pH 6.5-7.5) but exhibits some preference for slightly acidic soils. Most soils in Utah are suitable for growing French tarragon provided they are well-drained.

Water:
Water the Estragon when the top 1 inch of the soil starts to dry. Sprinkle the water on the soil at the base of the plant until the excess starts to drain out of the bottom of the pot. Potted tarragon may require daily watering during hot weather.

Fertilizer:
Estragon has low compost requirements. Similarly, as with numerous herbs, the tarragon flavor is intensified when grown in nutrient-poor soils so only fertilize when planting.

Pruning:
Pruning is also required. As much as possible, do not make the plant grow more than two feet to prevent falling. When pruning, however, avoid overdoing it. Also, it is best to divide the plants within three to four years to give them more space.

Harvest:
Harvesting tarragon is possible at any given time, however as cultivating specialists propose, it is best to do it in the late summer. This is the time wherein the plant reaches the peak aroma and flavor. Take out the light green leaves from the top of the plant. When harvesting, remove only about 1/3 of the plant. On the off chance that you collect more, this will encourage the death of the plant.

Pests and Diseases:
Tarragon(Artemisia dracunculus) tends to have few pest problems, though it’s well known for attracting bees and butterflies. The main disease that tarragon suffers is usually caused by too much water, like root rot and powdery mildew. You can keep the rates of the disease down by mulching around the base of your plants in order to keep moisture near the surface and away from the roots.