I thought I could grow any herb at all but having just moved my tiny tarragon to its sixth home in 18 years - I need help. I have any condition available....sunny, shady, moist, dry, etc...but can't seem to get tarragon to take off. Can anyone who successfully grows French Tarragon in Zone 6 please advise the conditions?
Thanks...HM
Herb Pro needs help
Well, I'm not in Zone 6, but hopefully being in Zone 5 will be close enough. I've got some VERY happy French tarragon growing in almost straight sand.
Our garden is relatively new, since we have just owned this particular house for a year. (The yard had been neglected for 7 years by the previous owners, so it was like a jungle, only with crummy soil and too many Silver Maples :-) ) My past experience has showed that the plants like lots of sun and good drainage, whether in the garden or in a pot. Last year was the happiest I've ever seen it though. I've had so-so experience planting tarragon in potting soil. Even with full sun, it just doesn't seem to do as well. And it really does not like clay... I'm assuming that is due to the poor drainage.
I know that my answer is not very technical and is not too professional, but I hope it's of some help.
I have extreme zone envy--tarragon is the most challenging herb (lavender a close second) to grow down in this heat and humidity---must be why I just love it on scrambled eggs huh?
Maybe the heat and humidity is the issue here....we don't have it for the length of time that you have it...but it can get sticky for long stretches here. I have always put the tarragon in the sun...maybe I should consider partial shade. Thoughts? HM
i am no where near ur zone HM. i am in the upper desert of so. calif. our temperatures here represent both extremes. cold temperature in the winter to as low as the teens sometimes. and as high as 115ºF in the summer. no shades here, mostly open spaces with hardly no trees for shade.
French Tarragon i grow are both in ground, straight sand. and in a pot with equal amount peat moss and perlite. i do not pamper my any of my plants. they are pretty much on their own. it is so dry and the only humidity the plant will get is when they are watered in the morning.
most herb, i believe specially lavender and F. Tarragon prefers to be dry in between watering. jmo.
Thanks folks....I'm thinking that the common thread of the six sites for my tarragon has been that it is moist. I do have a really dry spot - am thinking of pulling the tarragon back up from the moist place I just put it, and replanting it in my dry sunny spot and mix some sand in with my soil. It is a microclimate on the south side of the house, under the eves so it is closer to your 8a zone Ma Vie. Sage, anise hyssop and bronze fennel do very well in this stretch. I'll take a pic when I plant and do a 2 month review and send both around in June so you can all decide if it looks like it should in terms of growth in the new place.
Thanks to all....still glad to get input from anyone else.
HM
Lol, and here I was feeling envious of you folks in the warmer climates! Let me tell you, being in Michigan right now, I'm not feeling too lucky. Maybe I'll change my mind later this spring :-)
It sure sounds like heat and humidity may be the problem for both of you to grow tarragon. I know that lavender HATES being too wet up here, and it just wilts in our moist hot days. I swear I can hear it crying "I'm melting....! Melting!" on those days. I haven't paid too much attention to the tarragon on those days, it just kind of blends in with the rest of the herb garden. I'll watch it carefully this summer to see if it does something similar to the lavender. Thankfully we don't have too many extremely hot and humid days, though it is still too many for me. I admit it, I am definitely more of a high and dry fan :-)
MH, you might want to try your little tarragon in a pot of sandy soil in a mostly sunny location, with some later afternoon shade. Try a straight terra cotta to let it breathe (that's what I use for lavender and some rosemarys in the summer, and it seems to do well for these plants who hate to be too wet). It may not do the trick, but it wouldn't hurt and may be worth a try.
Dmj, I have no insight into the hot and humid land that is Texas. Zone 6 is as far afield of my own home as I'm willing to speculate :-) Though I suppose a terra cotta pot of tarragon in a more shaded area might be worth a try for you... Along with a nice little pot of lavender to keep it company :-)
HM, your post jumped in ahead of mine. So I'll comment quickly on your new one... Do you think your microclimate is really close to 8a? If so, you may want to be careful with your tarragon since it may not be cool enough for it. Instead of just being small, it might end up steaming. Might do okay there if you can give it some shade. Just food for thought.
Calypsa--I've tried pots in the shade and everything next to setting up an "air conditioner vent" above it. It will grow slowly and I mean more slowly than I cut it--if --and I do mean if--we have a very dry winter. Lavender I can live without--I know what you mean by the "I"m melting"--it does literally scream that out at you while it turns it's feet skyward.....I can, on the otherhand, grow rosemary, dill, fennell, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and chives endlessly thru the winter and basil grows like a weed when its warm. I've often thought the only reason I'm so fond of tarragon is because its so hard to grow. I've heard its an absolute "thug" in most of USA gardens! LOL.
Debbie
Debbie: Oh.... so Jealous!! I would give anything to have basil growing like a weed. I just cannot get enough of it! Perhaps we should trade places for awhile? :-) I went outside yesterday to check on my perennial herbs and found a lovely little puff (stubby plant with stubby leaves for now) of tarragon! It definitely should NOT be up that much yet... It was also funny because I read the tag and it said that it "emerges slowly in spring. Be patient." Riiiiiiight. It's ready to go NOW. And I never thought of tarragon as a thug, but at this rate, that may prove to be true in my garden.
In Zone 8, I am out of ideas. Well, except for one... Have you tried growing it indoors? :-)
Well, I *love* tarragon also, but gave up on it too. *sigh* I can grow most everything else. I have basil, Italian parsley, Greek oregano, Marjarum, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, dill and a variety of mints. :) I have 1 lavender plant ... can't remember what kind, though. Haven't had much success with that either.
it is true tarragons can grow either in full sun or shade. the key in growing tarragon is to keep it on the dry side between watering. here are few links to learn its culture and history. http://www.superbherbs.net/Frenchtarragon.htm http://www.sunnygardens.com/garden_plants/artemisia/artemisia_3024.php
the reason probably why some fail to grow tarragon is over watering. too much moisture will naturally kill the plant, any plant for that matter. i have grown tarragon in straight sun and in the summer the temperature here soars to 115ºF.
i do not fertilize herbs i grow either. i just add steer manure in the area i plant herbs. fertilizing herbs will only allow some of them to bolt sooner if not, some like basil will have to flower sooner than normal. jmo from personal observation of herbs i have grown.
if u know there is humidity in ur area, u should cut down on the watering that u normal do. humidity is moisture, therefore there is amply water. u should cut down on watering or plants will rot!
You can't cut down on the the rain......we have pretty high rainfall levels compared to the high desert of Ca., at least in most years....had 3 inches in one hour last week. Although we are low on rainfall.
we presently experiencing record breaking rain. it is nearly a month, we are inundated with rains which never happened before. last month we were hit with Arctic Jet Stream on top of the rain and snow. it has been continious rain for more than a month or so. i've lived up here for nearly 8 yrs. now. this is the only year we got so much rain. in the past years, we hardly had any drop at all. the surrounding mountains always block off the rains from the other side. i guess due to the fire that burned all the trees are no longer there to prevent the rains from coming this way. this info is by no means scientific cause i am not a pro. i am but a mere novice using my common sense.
i perfectly understand what u mean about rain. what matter is u have a well draining soil where u have the tarragon planted.
pls. understand i have no intention to dictate how u do ur planting. am just sharing info based on reading and observation from my own experience. we all have different zone, soil and circumstances to take into consideration on the way we grow plant/s.
No problem MaVie! I'll take some of that rain off your hand--we are low this year....and most of what I grow really needs it! I'm just sooo envious of tarragon growers!
Deb
Deb, if u don't mind, pls read the links on Tarragon. hopefully maybe u will pick up something we all are discussing here.
if only i can drive the rain to go ur way, i would! am sick of it. i've been exiled inside for nearly 2 mos. now.
tip on the side... Tarragon i planted in the past was in straight sun, totally ignored and watered less than the other plants in the yard.