Tarragon

Tarragon: plant 60 cm (24 in) apart in the row and 60 cm (24 in) between rows, 1 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	60 cm (24 in)
Between rows	60 cm (24 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	80 cm (31 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	By dividing a clump, from cuttings
Cuttings per planting hole	3
Planting depth	0.5 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 13 °C, best 18–24 °C
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to plant	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 12 °C

From seedling to plant

Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	90–120 days, from planting
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 16–24 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.6 kg per plant
Botanical family	Asteraceae
Watch out for	Aphids, powdery mildew
First crop after	1–2 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Plan Tarragon in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Tarragon onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Apr–May
Harvest	May–Oct

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Tarragon →

From the same family

Plants of the Asteraceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Culinary Use and Culture of Herbs (from the California Master Gardener Handbook; R10/2019) — UC Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners of Orange County for: between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30

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