Tarragon

About it

Kind

Herbs · Perennial

Family

Asteraceae

Mature size

to 3 ft × 18 in

Hardiness zones

Zones 3–8

Sun

Full sun

Spacing

24 in apart

Soil depth in a pot

At least 6 in

ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH and feeding needs yet.

When to plant

We don't have planting times for Tarragon yet.

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Tarragon yet.

Safety for pets and children

• Cats Listed as a problem for cats (NC State Extension) — Low severity; in the bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Artemisinin essential oil - estragole, methyleugenol, thujone, and furanocoumarin
• Dogs Listed as a problem for dogs (NC State Extension) — Low severity; in the bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Artemisinin essential oil - estragole, methyleugenol, thujone, and furanocoumarin
• Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension) — Low severity; in the bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Artemisinin essential oil - estragole, methyleugenol, thujone, and furanocoumarin
• Children No information in our sources

If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.

Read from NC State Extension ↗.

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Tarragon yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

• category NC State Extension ↗
• climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 3a-8a; a perennial hardy through a zone 3 winter is frost-tolerant
• edible NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox: "Leaf Value To Gardener: Edible", tagged #edible leaves; description discusses its culinary use directly
• family NC State Extension ↗
• growth rate NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Growth Rate: Medium. Herbaceous perennial, so class only, no annual_growth_in (0036 convention 3)
• life cycle NC State Extension ↗
• mature height in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Height: 1 ft 0 in - 3 ft 0 in; upper bound
• mature spread in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Width: 1 ft 0 in - 1 ft 6 in; upper bound
• min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Not in Table 18-1; non-taprooted herbaceous perennial herb like Chives, Oregano and Thyme (0039), which the table lists at 6 in
• space requirement The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "Space plants 24 inches apart". No row distance given, so rows equal plants
• species NC State Extension ↗ The Toolbox page describes the wild species; the row is French tarragon, the culinary cultivar sold as A. dracunculus 'Sativa' the page itself names, grown for the same edible leaves
• sunlight NC State Extension ↗
• toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for cat, dog, horse from the page's "Problem for" listing. Severity, parts and principle are the page's poison characteristics for the whole plant. The page describes the wild species as used medicinally and, less often, culinarily; the row is the culinary cultivar (0131's note). No Problem for Children tag.
• years to bearing The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Grown from divisions or cuttings and harvested through its first growing season (Almanac); nursery-stock convention 0028 set ("1 for nursery stock")