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When hearing the word “tarragon,” many people automatically imagine a refreshing drink with a bright green color and a specific taste. However, not everyone knows about the properties of the perennial aromatic plant to which the drink owes its name. This unusual herb, also known as tarragon, is successfully used in cooking and medicine. Therefore, growing and caring for tarragon in open ground today is of genuine interest; plant growers are happy to grow it in their garden plots.
How to choose the right variety
Tarragon includes many subspecies, each of which has its own unique characteristics. Among them, the most popular are the following varieties:
- Goodwin. This variety of tarragon is suitable for growing both in pots and in open ground. Gives a harvest in the 2nd year. It is characterized by a rich spicy bitter taste.
- Gribovsky. A very frost-resistant plant, practically not susceptible to disease, which is why it has gained wide popularity. Able to grow in one place without loss of taste for 15 years in a row. The harvest appears by the second year of cultivation.
- French. This variety of tarragon is also cold tolerant. It has an aesthetic appearance, therefore it is often used in landscape design, but is not suitable for growing from seeds in the northern regions.
- Mexican Aztec. In appearance, this plant resembles a bush up to 1.5 m in height. It tolerates elevated temperatures better than other varieties. It grows in one plot for 7 years in a row. Has a bright anise aroma.
- Dobrynya. Compared to other varieties, tarragon contains a number of useful substances, including essential oil. It tolerates cold and drought well and winters without problems. The period of cultivation in the same place is up to 10 years.
Regardless of the variety, all subspecies of tarragon can be used as food and have medicinal properties. In addition, any of the above varieties of tarragon can be grown at home.
How to grow tarragon at home
Tarragon's unpretentiousness and compact rhizomes make it possible to grow it even in a small pot or container. At the same time, the process of growing tarragon itself is not labor intensive.
Any well-lit windowsill is suitable for growing. Tarragon will feel especially comfortable on the south side of the house.
Since tarragon does not like too wet soil, you need to put high-quality drainage, for example, vermiculite or perlite, at the bottom of the container. The pot itself should be chosen as medium in size, since at home tarragon grows from 30 to 60 cm. The soil for growing the plant can be prepared from a mixture of sand, turf and humus in equal parts.
Having prepared the soil for cultivation, you can begin sowing tarragon seeds. They are placed 1 cm deep into the soil and then covered with earth. A good option for successfully growing tarragon from seeds would be an improvised greenhouse. To do this, cover the plant seedlings with glass or film and regularly moisten the soil with a spray bottle, while maintaining the temperature at 18 - 20 oC. The first shoots appear at 3 - 4 weeks.
Further care for tarragon, as when grown in open ground, comes down to periodic watering and weeding of the plants. From the 2nd year, you can annually feed the plant with mineral fertilizers.
Planting and caring for tarragon in open ground
Tarragon is a rather unpretentious herb, and therefore growing tarragon, in particular, planting and caring for it, does not require much effort. However, in order for the plant to enjoy a bountiful harvest and get sick less often, it is worth studying the recommendations for growing it in open ground.
Where to plant tarragon
To grow tarragon at your own dacha, you should take a responsible approach to choosing a planting site. The best choice for growing tarragon is an unshaded place with sufficient sunlight.Despite the fact that tarragon is undemanding to soil quality and can grow almost anywhere, preference should be given to soils with neutral or high acidity - from 6 to 7 pH. Tarragon does not do well in heavy clay soils. Particular attention needs to be paid to the level of nitrogen in the soil. Too high a content of nitrogen compounds can cause the plant to develop rust or other diseases.
Having selected a suitable area for cultivation, it is necessary to clear it of weed, in particular, from wheatgrass, since tarragon cannot grow with it in the same area. In the fall, it is necessary to carry out deep digging of the site in advance, adding organic fertilizers to the soil if necessary. In the spring, just before planting, it is enough to loosen the soil.
How to plant tarragon with seeds
Tarragon seeds are usually sown in the ground in April-May. It is best to do this in a greenhouse and plant the seedlings in a permanent place after they have grown stronger. Before this, in the fall, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil for plowing. Immediately before sowing, the growing area is covered with a soil mixture of humus, peat and light loamy soil in a ratio of 1:1:1. Leave a distance of at least 20 cm between the beds.
The planting of tarragon itself is carried out according to a scheme similar to growing it at home:
- Tarragon seeds are sown in the soil no deeper than 1 cm and sprinkled with earth.
- Before the seedlings sprout, the soil should be kept slightly moist and the temperature in the greenhouse slightly higher than room temperature - about 20 oC.
- Seedlings need to be provided with good ventilation.
With the right approach, tarragon seedlings will germinate by the 3rd week. After another 10 - 14 days, the already developed young plants must be thinned out and moved to a permanent site.
How to grow tarragon in open ground
Being an undemanding plant, tarragon is ideal for growing in summer cottages for those who want to gain experience in plant growing.
Tarragon does not need much moisture even in dry weather. It is enough to water the plant once every 2-3 weeks; during rainy periods, you can increase the intervals between waterings.
From the spring of the 2nd year of cultivation, tarragon should be fertilized once with mineral fertilizers - after the first weeding or before the start of flowering time. For these purposes, a mineral mixture of 20 g of ammonium sulfate, 20 g of potassium salt and 30 g of superphosphates, diluted in 10 liters of water, has proven itself well.
Periodically, the soil should be loosened for better air supply to the tarragon roots, and weeding should also be done to remove weeds.
Tarragon care in autumn
The key to successful cultivation of tarragon is its timely preparation for winter. This usually involves pruning and providing cover for the plant. As a rule, pruning of tarragon is carried out in the fall before the arrival of cold weather, in early or mid-November.If the plant is young, then it is not completely cut off, leaving at least 20 cm from the stem so that it can recover by spring. Older plants can be pruned more thoroughly, leaving only the woody part of the stem.
In the middle zone and northern regions, tarragon is covered with rags, spruce branches or humus for the winter. In the southern regions, shelter is not required for this plant.
Pest and disease control
Although tarragon has a very high resistance to diseases and pests, the climate, soil composition and insufficient compliance with growing rules can provoke the development of some ailments in tarragon:
- Rust is the most common disease to which tarragon is susceptible. The main symptom is the appearance of unaesthetic brown spots on the leaves of the plant. If left untreated, the leaf blades quickly dry out and fall off. Rust is usually an indication that the plant is getting too much nitrogen or is not getting enough space to grow properly due to overly dense seedlings. To eliminate this problem when growing, it is worth thinning out the beds with tarragon in a timely manner and following the regime of applying mineral fertilizer to the plant.
- Tarragon is often attacked by wireworms. To prevent attacks by this pest, you should pay special attention to loosening the beds, trying to touch deeper layers of soil during the procedure. The growing area can also be treated with lime.
- Such a well-known garden pest as aphids, occasionally, but still worries plant growers who grow tarragon. You can get rid of it by spraying tarragon with natural insecticides.Of these, tobacco infusion, onion peel and yarrow are considered especially effective.
How to propagate tarragon
Growing tarragon at home is quite possible not only for professional plant growers, but also for amateur gardeners. The main thing in this matter is to choose the appropriate method of propagating tarragon:
- seminal;
- dividing the bush;
- cuttings.
Growing tarragon from seeds at home is considered a time-consuming method, which is also not suitable for all plant varieties. However, the seedlings are more disease-resistant and tenacious.
A fairly simple and effective method of propagation is dividing the bush. It is most often produced in the spring, in early April. For this:
- The above-ground part of the plant is shortened, and the roots are divided into 2 equal parts. Moreover, each of them should have 1 - 2 buds.
- Tarragon is planted in a permanent place to a depth of 8 cm, generously watering each hole with 1 liter of water.
To propagate tarragon by cuttings, you should stock up on young shoots in advance. It is better to do this during the budding period of the plant, at the end of June:
- Young tarragon stems are cut diagonally with a sharp knife to produce pieces 10–15 cm long with several healthy buds.
- Plant cuttings are placed in water or Kornevin’s solution for 3 - 4 hours, then planted in boxes with loose soil mixed in half with sand, to a depth of 4 cm.
- After this, the tarragon cuttings are covered with film, allowing them to ventilate daily.It is important that the soil prepared for plants is at room temperature and regularly moistened, and that the room has good ventilation.
- At the end of September, when the tarragon seedlings have taken root, they can be moved into open ground.
When can tarragon be harvested?
Tarragon collection, as a rule, does not have a clear time limit, since it depends on the age of the plant and the climatic conditions in which it is grown. So, in the first year, they begin to stock the plant in August; in subsequent years, the time for collecting tarragon shifts to May-June and continues until October.
Collection is recommended in warm, dry weather. The stems of the plant are carefully cut with a sharp knife, leaving a length of 15 - 20 cm from the roots. From 1 m of tarragon seedlings you can collect up to 2 kg of plant material per season.
Before harvesting for the winter, you should carefully examine parts of the plant for damage and insects. Dry or old tarragon leaves affected by pests should be thrown away immediately, leaving only juicy and healthy ones.
How to preserve tarragon for the winter
You can enjoy the unique gastronomic properties of tarragon not only in summer, but also in winter, if you prepare the plant correctly. Depending on the purpose of further use, tarragon can be frozen, cooked in the form of jam, or prepared as a healthy natural syrup.
Tarragon is frozen fresh. For this:
- The leaves and stems of the plant are inspected, damaged ones are removed and washed in cold water.
- After this, the tarragon is allowed to dry, finely chopped and placed in bags.
- The packages are put into the freezer.
Not only tarragon, but also many other spices are prepared using this method. The shelf life of frozen tarragon is 12 months.
A rather exotic option for preparing tarragon for winter is making syrup:
- The plant material is washed, the leaves are separated from the stems and finely chopped.
- Pour tarragon with cold water in a ratio of 1:3.
- 1 lemon is cut into slices and added to the greens.
- Place the pan with the workpiece in a water bath and cook over low heat for 1 hour.
- The cake is squeezed out of the resulting mixture and the liquid is filtered.
- Add 3 tbsp. l. sugar and 1 tsp. citric acid.
- Continue cooking over low heat until thickened.
- The finished syrup is poured into glass containers, sealed tightly and stored in a cool, dark place.
Homemade tarragon syrup will be a wonderful topping for confectionery or ice cream; you can add it to coffee and mulled wine, or use it to make a refreshing vitamin drink by diluting a few spoons in sparkling water.
Those with a sweet tooth will love tarragon jam:
- The washed raw materials are cut and then crushed by hand or with a mallet until the plant releases juice.
- Then tarragon is poured with 1 liter of boiling water, covered with a lid and left in a warm place for 10 - 12 hours.
- Next, add 1 kg of sugar to the mixture and cook over low heat for 2 - 3 hours, waiting for the jam to thicken.
- The finished product is poured into glass containers and sealed tightly.
How to dry tarragon for the winter
The easiest way to prepare tarragon is drying, which can be done without hassle even in urban conditions. To ensure that tarragon retains its beneficial properties and aroma for a long time, proceed as follows:
- The stems of the plant are cut, damaged leaves are removed and thoroughly washed in running water.
- Finely chop the plant material and spread it on newspaper in a thin, even layer.
- The tarragon is then left to dry in a bright, well-ventilated room, away from direct sunlight.
- When the grass is completely dry, it is carefully poured into a glass container and sealed with a lid.
In this form, tarragon can be stored for 12 to 24 months without fear that it will lose its taste.
Conclusion
As you can see, growing and caring for tarragon in open ground, as well as at home, is not difficult. If you follow the recommendations, even not the most experienced gardeners will be able to acquire this plant at home, and it will delight the owners with its appearance and aroma for a long time.
