The famous tarragon: all about growing tarragon

Tarragon is not very common in Russia, but an extremely popular aromatic plant in the world. It is widely used in cooking and in traditional medicine. The culture is unpretentious, not even an especially experienced gardener can get a crop.

Description of tarragon

Tarragon, known to professional botanists as tarragon wormwood, and to most Russians as tarragon, is a perennial herbaceous bush plant. It is widely used in traditional medicine and in cooking. In nature, tarragon is most often found in Eastern Europe and Asia, right up to Mongolia and India. He is one of the closest "relatives" of the familiar wormwood, but its leaves are completely devoid of the characteristic bitterness. Rather, their inherent taste resembles anise.

In nature, tarragon successfully adapts to not always favorable climatic and weather conditions.

Russia met tarragon relatively recently, in the 17th century, after the Transcaucasian states — Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan — entered its composition. Until now, this spice is an integral part of Caucasian cuisine. From there came the local name "tarragon". In Russia, he received a number of nicknames - "dragon", "snake", "dragoon". The fact is that the rhizome of the plant, indeed, in form somewhat resembles this fabulous monster.

The average height of the tarragon bush is 1.2-1.5 m. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, with a smooth edge and sharply sharpened tip. Depending on the variety, their color varies from salad to saturated dark green. Long flowering, lasts from early July to September. The flowers are small, spherical, collected in inflorescences in the form of a basket or panicle. Their yellowish white tint gradually changes to pinkish or pale red. Then the fruit seeds begin to ripen. The seeds in them are very small.

Tarragon bushes are not too high, but without gardener's supervision they can quickly spread around the site

Tarragon rhizome is very powerful, developed, "woody". The stems are few, erect, tan. They begin to branch closer to the top.

During the first season after planting seedlings or seeds, tarragon is not disturbed. The crop begins to be cut only in the second year, since the first plant spends on the formation of the root system.

Tarragon blooms very modestly

Benefit for health

The characteristic spicy flavor of the leaves is due to the presence in a high concentration of essential oils, resins, flavonoids and alkaloids. Tarragon is also rich in carotenoids, tannins, B and C vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium, sodium and iron.

Tarragon leaves are long and narrow, with a smooth edge.

Vitamin C makes tarragon essential for strengthening immunity. It can be included in the diet for spring vitamin deficiency or for recovery in the postoperative period. The positive effect of tarragon on the strengthening of connective tissues has been scientifically proven. It stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, respectively, is indispensable for diseases of the joints. In addition, greens normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates the work of the endocrine glands, and helps to fight the symptoms of pulmonary diseases. The alkaloids contained in the spice are an effective way to combat parasites. They are also useful for improving blood composition.

Nutritionists recommend that tarragon be included in the diet for those who follow a salt-free diet. It is also indicated for high blood pressure and kidney problems, and for women with cycle disorders. Tarragon is also useful for improving appetite.

Tarragon may well replace salt

There are contraindications. Greens are forbidden to use for epilepsy, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute stage (especially with ulcers and gastritis), women at any stage of pregnancy. If tarragon is immoderate, nausea, bouts of vomiting are very likely, in especially severe cases even convulsions and loss of consciousness are possible.

Tarragon flavored oil is extremely popular in French cuisine

Spice is also in demand in cooking. In home canning, it is used, adding to the marinade for cucumbers and tomatoes, to sauerkraut. Tarragon oil and vinegar are popular in Mediterranean countries. Greens are part of many sauces. You can also make a refreshing tonic from tarragon. The taste of tarragon water is probably familiar to many from childhood.

Familiar to many since childhood, the refreshing and tasty drink "Tarragon" is easy to make at home

Video: how to make a drink "Tarragon" at home

Tarragon essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy and cosmetology. In the first case, it is believed that its aroma has the ability to calm, relieve causeless anxiety and depression, and normalize mental state after a nervous breakdown. Masks with tarragon oil tone the skin, improve the color and even out the tone of the face, smooth small wrinkles.

Video: a description of tarragon and its health benefits

Common varieties

Tarragon is popular with breeders. Therefore, there are quite a few varieties developed by domestic and foreign experts:

• Valkovsky. One of the oldest varieties in Russia. The leaves are matte, the aroma is not too pronounced. The variety is early ripening, from the moment of emergence of seedlings in the second season to the first harvest, less than a month passes. Appreciated for frost resistance, it rarely suffers from diseases. Very negatively related to waterlogging of the soil;
• Gribovsky. Leaves saturated emerald color, with a pronounced aroma, very delicate. Differs in cold resistance. On the same bed can be grown without compromising on taste until 15 years. Greens can be cut after 1.5 months, then after another 3-4 weeks;
• Dobrynya. Low (up to 1 m) plant. Greens are characterized by a high content of carotenoids and vitamin C. It tolerates frosts and prolonged drought. The first time the greens are cut off after 30 days, the second - after another 3 months. In one place, the variety can be grown up to 10 years;
• Zhulebinsky Semko. It stands out with very high frost resistance. The bush is multi-stemmed, 0.6-1.5 m high. The lower part of the stems quickly coarsens, loses leaves. The aroma is characteristic, anise, greens inherent sweetish flavor. Cut the crop at intervals of a month. On one bed grows 5-7 years;
• The king of herbs. The height of the densely leafy shrub is 1-1.2 m. The greenery is characterized by a pronounced anise flavor. Leaves are opaque. The variety is cold-resistant, but does not tolerate drought too well. The first time the greens are cut off after 40 days, then only after 2.5-3 months. Harvest - about 4 kg / m²;
• Goodwin. One of the most common varieties. Shrub about 1.15 m high, densely leafy. Suitable for growing at home. Leaves taste bitter. Differs in high productivity - each bush gives about 0.5-0.6 kg of green mass. The first time the crop is cut after a month, then after 130 days;
• Monarch. The height of a powerful highly branching plant is about 1.5 m. The leaves are brightly emerald. The variety is characterized by good frost resistance. The taste is spicy, refreshing. The aroma inherent in the plant is preserved after drying. The first cut - in a month or even a little earlier, 135 passes through the second;
• Smagard. One of the lowest growing varieties (about 0.7-0.8 m). Stems erect, densely leafy. The aroma of greenery is very pleasant, refreshing. It is characterized by frost resistance and drought resistance. Used in landscape design. Productivity - up to 4 kg / m²;
• French. Culinary experts recognized one of the best varieties, greens are very fragrant. It is also valued for its high yield (0.5-0.7 kg of greenery per plant) and "innate" immunity to diseases. It is used not only in cooking, but also in landscape design. Snow-white flowers contrast effectively with dark green leaves;
• Aztec. Slightly "ennobled" by Mexican breeders of tarragon. Bush up to 1.5 m high, intensively branching, densely leafy. The aroma is aniseed, very pronounced. At the same place without loss of quality of greenery can be grown no more than 7 years;
• Gribovchanin. Very compact shrub up to 0.8 m high. It stands out with flowers of a pale pink hue. Leaves do not lose their tenderness and juiciness for a long time. Productivity - up to 0.6 kg of greenery from an adult plant. A month passes before the first cut, and 120 days before the second cut. “Disposable” crop - 3 kg / m²;
• Equal. The bush is almost spherical (0.85 m in diameter at a height of 1-1.1 m). The stems are erect. Leaves are characterized by a high content of essential oils, do not lose their juiciness for a long time. The flowers are bright yellow.

Photo gallery: tarragon varieties popular among Russian gardeners

Suitable conditions for growing tarragon

Tarragon is not particularly demanding on the "conditions of detention". At the same place, the culture can be grown up to 12-15 years, but practice shows that after 4-5 years it is better to change the garden. Otherwise, the green leaves lose its inherent taste and aroma, the stems become stiff, the leaves become stiff.

It is advisable to give the plant a sunny spot or partial shade. In the shade, it also will not die, but the aroma will not be pronounced. Almost any soil is suitable for it, with the exception of acidified and waterlogged. In nature, culture quietly survives almost on bare stones in the steppes. If groundwater comes close to the surface, tarragon is planted in ridges about 50 cm high. Otherwise, the rhizomes may rot. For the same reason, it is undesirable to place landings in lowlands.

It is advisable to plant tarragon on a bed well warmed by the sun, only in this case the concentration of essential oils in the leaves will be maximum

Sand or rotted sawdust must be added to heavy soil. Excessive acidity will help neutralize dolomite flour, sifted wood ash, crushed chalk or powdered egg shells. The ideal option is loose, but fertile loam.

Dolomite flour - a natural deoxidizer of the soil, subject to dosage, the product has no side effects

The plant is bushy, with "sprawling" rhizomes, therefore, when planting between the bushes, leave at least 50 cm. The same interval is maintained between rows of landings.

Since the autumn, they have been digging the bed to a depth of one bayonet shovel. From fertilizers make humus or rotted compost, Nitrofosku, Azofosku or other complex mineral fertilizers (10-15 g / m²). Fresh manure and an excess of nitrogen fertilizers are strictly prohibited. Tarragon has the ability to accumulate nitrates. In spring, the substrate will need to be thoroughly loosened again.

Azofoska is a complex nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus fertilizer, the dosage recommended by the manufacturer must be strictly observed: its excess is harmful to tarragon

Good precursors for tarragon are any legumes and green plants that saturate the soil with nitrogen. It develops poorly in the place where chicory, Jerusalem artichoke and green salad grew.

Jerusalem artichoke and tarragon coexist alongside with difficulty

Planting seedlings and tarragon seeds

Most often, tarragon is planted with seedlings. But no one forbids sowing seeds on the garden. They are very small with tarragon, so you should try to sow them as evenly as possible. The time is chosen so that the probability of spring return frosts is minimal. In most of Russia, tarragon is sown in late May or early June, in the warm southern regions in the second half of April.

Before planting, the seeds are soaked for 10-12 hours in a solution of Epin, Zircon, Heteroauxin, and another biostimulant. Those that float to the surface can be thrown away. Then the seeds must be dried.

Epin, like other biostimulants, has a positive effect on seed germination

Tarragon is sown in grooves located at a distance of about 0.5 m from each other. First they need to be shed well with water and allowed to soak. Top soil does not fall asleep; otherwise, germination is sharply reduced.

Seeds germinate unevenly, after 15-25 days. During the first summer, it is advisable to protect seedlings from direct sunlight. To do this, a canopy is built over the garden from any white covering material. When they grow to 4-5 cm in height, seedlings thin out, leaving the most powerful and developed. The interval between them is at least 30 cm (optimally 50 cm).

When thinning, the plants are not pulled out, but carefully cut with scissors.

Tarragon seeds sprout unfriendly, you have to wait long enough

Further care of the plantings during the season consists of moderate watering (best from a spray bottle), top dressing (about once a month, organic fertilizers), careful loosening and regular weeding of the beds. For the winter, it is advisable to play safe and protect plants from possible severe frosts.

Outdoor Care

Tarragon agricultural technology is not particularly difficult. Weed it only in the first season after landing in the ground. Then the rhizomes of plants are tightly intertwined, preventing weeds from breaking through. They develop quite quickly and can soon "crawl" to neighboring beds, drowning out other cultures. To avoid this, the area with tarragon around the perimeter is surrounded by slate sheets, digging them to a depth of 20-25 cm.

Another option for protecting neighboring ridges is to plant each bush in an old bucket without a bottom when planting.

Watering

Tarragon is not needed at all too often, even in the heat. From this, the roots can rot, and the taste of greens can deteriorate significantly. Once every 12-15 days is enough. It is advisable to water the plants by sprinkling, evenly soaking the soil to a depth of about 40 cm. And if the summer is cool and rainy, tarragon can do with natural rainfall. You should be especially careful with watering if tarragon is planted in the shade. After each procedure, after about half an hour, it is advisable to loosen the substrate between the rows.

Top dressing

If the bed was prepared properly, fertilizers are applied only from the second year of stay in the open ground. In early spring, before tarragon starts growing, a mixture of 25 g of simple superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate and 10 g of urea is scattered across the bed. Then fertilizers are sprinkled with a thin layer of fertile soil. At the same time, one must act carefully so as not to damage the emerging sprouts.

In the future, mineral fertilizers with a nitrogen content are not applied. An excess of this macroelement negatively affects the taste of greens, nitrates accumulate in the leaves. After each cut, the plants can be fed with natural organics. For this, fresh cow dung, bird droppings, nettle or dandelion leaves are insisted in a container under a closed lid for 3-4 days (any weeds from the garden can be used as raw materials). Before use, the product is filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15 (for litter) or 1: 8 (for everything else). Also, any store-based fertilizers based on vermicompost and wood ash infusion are suitable. The latter is a natural source of potassium and phosphorus, therefore, in autumn, under the roots of adult plants, you can sprinkle it in a dry form (near a handful on a bush).

Nettle infusion - a natural source of phosphorus and potassium

Winter preparations

Tarragon has high frost resistance, up to -35 ° С. Adult plants without additional shelter winter successfully in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. But it is advisable to sprinkle the seedlings transplanted this year with fall leaves, sawdust, straw, needles, peat crumb or humus, sprinkle them with spruce branches, creating a layer 8-10 cm thick. First, all the stems must be cut to the soil level, and the roots should be carefully dug.

Growing tarragon at home

Tarragon bushes are not large in size, so this crop can be grown at home. As a rule, the height of the bush in this case does not exceed 0.5 m. If you can get the stalk, you can root it, but it is much easier to buy seeds in the store. The productive life of the plant in captivity is 3-4 years. The best time to plant is early spring.

Dimensions of tarragon bush allow you to grow it in a pot on the windowsill

Seeds are very small, so it is advisable to mix them with sand before planting. Tarragon is planted in small pots filled with universal soil for seedlings or a mixture of turf land with coarse river sand or peat chips (3: 1). A very fertile substrate for the culture is even harmful - while the green mass is intensively growing, but the content of essential oils in the leaves is reduced. After planting, the soil is watered well. Water will “drag” the seeds to the required depth.

Tarragon seeds, to make them easier to plant, are mixed with sand

At the bottom of the pot, a layer of expanded clay or other drainage material is required. Plastic containers are put on top of containers or covered with glass. Until germination, they are kept in a dark place at a temperature of 16-18 ° C.

To improve germination, seeds can be soaked for 2-3 days in water at room temperature. She will need to be changed daily.

Tarragon loves sunlight, but from direct rays it is advisable to shade it so that burns do not appear on the leaves. The eastern window sill is well suited for a pot. The optimal daylight hours are 10-12 hours. Autumn, winter, and early spring may require some backlighting. For this, ordinary luminescent and special phytolamps are suitable. In summer, the pot can be taken out onto a loggia or a glazed balcony.

Tarragon for the summer can be put on the balcony or porch

Most varieties do not tolerate heat very well; leaves often fade. The optimum temperature is 18-20 ° C. The soil is watered only after the top layer dries 2-3 cm in depth.

Tarragon is fed in the early spring and mid-autumn. Any universal complex fertilizer for garden crops with a low nitrogen content is suitable. The concentration of the product is halved compared to that recommended by the manufacturer.

Breeding methods

Tarragon reproduces in both generative and vegetative ways. The first is resorted to if you need to radically rejuvenate the planting. The second helps to "resettle" the culture in the area, move it to a new place. It is much less time consuming, allows you to get a crop faster.

Bush division

The method is suitable for plants aged 3-4 years and older. As soon as the soil is warm enough, the bush is dug out of the ground and divided into several parts so that each has 2-3 growth buds. It is advisable to unwind the roots manually, and resort to scissors and a knife in an emergency.

The roots are easier to spread if you soak them in water for several hours.

When dividing a tarragon bush, scissors are used only as a last resort

Parts of the plant are immediately planted in a new place and moderately watered. The first 2-3 weeks it is desirable to protect them from direct sunlight. Practice shows that tarragon takes root faster if you cut the existing stems by half. This reduces the evaporation area.

You can even plant not a part of the bush, but a piece of rhizome 7-10 cm long. They are placed horizontally in the soil, pre-soaked in any biostimulator for 2-3 hours. Sections before planting must be sprinkled with crushed chalk, activated carbon, sifted wood ash.

Cuttings

Tarragon cuttings - the upper part of the shoot is about 12-15 cm long. They are cut off closer to mid-summer, in late June - early July. By this time, the “donor” bush manages to add in growth so as not to get stress.

Tarragon cuttings cut in the middle of summer

The cut is done at an angle of 40-45 °. Leaves on the lower third of the stem cut off. Then it is soaked for 6-8 hours in a solution of any biostimulant. You can also use aloe juice, succinic acid and even honey. Cuttings are planted in pots, a greenhouse, a greenhouse or immediately in a permanent place. In the latter case, prior to rooting, they are covered with cut plastic bottles or glass caps. The optimum temperature for tarragon development is 18-20 ° C, so the planting will have to be regularly ventilated.

Home-made "greenhouse" helps tarragon cuttings to take root faster, but it needs to be ventilated regularly

Rooting usually takes 2-3 weeks. After another 10-15 days, young plants form 1-2 new shoots. After this time, they can be transferred from a greenhouse or a greenhouse to a permanent place. Cuttings are removed from the ground along with a lump of soil, trying to injure the roots as little as possible.

Practice shows that if you long propagate tarragon in any vegetative way, it loses the ability to bloom. The taste and aroma of greens are not lost.

It looks like propagation by layering cuttings. One of the stalks is bent, cut from below and pinned to the ground in the middle, filling this place with humus. Abundant watering is required during the summer. By next spring, roots should appear in this place. In May, layering can be separated from the mother bush and transferred to a permanent place.

Layering propagation is practiced for a wide variety of garden crops.

Seed germination

The seedling method of growing tarragon is quite laborious, but it is the one that is most often practiced in Russia. Seeds can be collected independently or purchased at the store. Germination they retain 3-4 years. Tarragon is sown for seedlings in the middle or at the end of March.

It is worth noting that with prolonged cultivation from own seeds, the culture gradually "degenerates", so it is advisable to update planting material from time to time.

Tarragon seeds germinate long enough, even if preplanting is done

Landing process:

1. Seeds are soaked for 10-12 hours in a solution of any biostimulant (to improve germination) or a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (for disinfection). To prevent fungal diseases, they are etched for 15-20 minutes in any fungicide of biological origin (Bayleton, Alirin-B, Baikal-EM). Then the seeds need to be dried.
2. A shallow container is filled with a mixture of turf land and peat or sand (3: 1). The soil is moderately moistened and leveled. Seeds are sown, after mixing them with fine sand into shallow grooves. Then the plantings are watered again. Top seeds do not fall asleep.
3. The containers are covered with glass or plastic film, until emergence is kept in the dark at a temperature of 16-18 ° C. As it dries, the soil is moistened from a spray bottle, the greenhouse is regularly opened for 5-10 minutes, getting rid of the accumulated condensate.
4. When shoots appear (you have to wait at least 2 weeks), the shelter is removed, the container is transferred to the best-lit place in the apartment. Seedlings are watered very sparingly.
5. After about a month, the seedlings dive (the plants should already have at least two true leaves). The distance between them is 7-10 cm.
6. In early June, seedlings can be moved to a permanent place. About a week before this, you need to feed it by spraying it with a solution of any nitrogen-containing fertilizer (1-2 g per 1 liter of water). Immediately after planting, seedlings are preferably tied to supports of suitable thickness. The stems of young tarragon plants are quite thin, easily broken.

Growing tarragon seedlings is a rather time-consuming method, but you can get a crop faster

Diseases and Pests

The high concentration of essential oils and alkaloids in tarragon leaves effectively repels many pests from plants. They practically do not suffer from diseases, having high immunity from nature.

An exception is leaf rust. The front side is covered with pinkish swellings, the wrong side is tightened with a continuous layer of saffron hairy coating. Gradually it thickens and darkens, the affected leaves dry and fall off. The spread of the disease contributes to overfeeding of plants with nitrogen and excessive thickening of plantings.

Leaf rust is a common fungal disease.

For prophylaxis, seeds are treated for 15-20 minutes in a solution of any fungicide of biological origin. During the season, the soil in the garden is dusted with crushed chalk, sifted with wood ash.

If the disease is noticed on time, it is quite possible to cope with folk remedies - a soap dispenser, diluted soda ash diluted with water, a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, diluted kefir or serum with iodine (10 drops per 10 l) are suitable. In the absence of effect, any fungicides are used: old time-tested products (copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid) or modern copper-containing preparations (Skor, Horus, Tsineb, Raek, Topaz).

Of the pests, the aphids and wireworms (the larva of the nutcracker beetle) can cause the most harm to tarragon plantings. Aphids feed on the sap of plants, differing in rare omnivores. She whole colonies clings to the tops of shoots, young leaves, flower buds. Affected parts of the plant turn yellow, then discolor and dry.

Aphids cover entire plant colonies with whole colonies

The pest really does not like pungent odors, therefore, for prevention, marigolds, nasturtiums, lavender can be planted next to tarragon. Effectively repel aphids infusions of onion and garlic arrows, tops of tomatoes, peel of oranges, dry tobacco leaves. They will help get rid of the pest if it has not yet bred en masse. Only the frequency of treatments will have to be increased from once every 12-15 days to 2-3 times a day. In the absence of the desired result, any general-acting insecticides are used - Inta-Vir, Iskra-Bio, Admiral, Calypso, Confidor-Maxi.

The wire gnaws through the roots of plants, they quickly dry and die. For prevention, in the aisles you can plant leaf mustard, beans, other siderat plants, the bed - dust with tobacco dust. Traps are also a good effect - containers dug into the ground filled with pieces of raw potatoes, carrots, and beets. In the case of a mass pest invasion, the drugs Provotox, Bazudin, Pochin are used.

A wireworm gnaws through the roots of plants, leading to their death

Harvesting and storage

Cut the crop exclusively in dry weather. But if tarragon rhizomes are harvested, it does not matter. Anyway, before drying, they will have to be washed and chopped.

Harvest can be cut 2-3 times during the growing season. For the bush, such a procedure is even useful - it begins to branch out more intensively, it becomes “fuzzier”. Stems are not cut to the ground, leaving “stumps” 10-12 cm high. Fresh leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for 10-15 weeks in a special compartment for fruits and vegetables, wrapped in cling film.

In the first year after transplanting seedlings into the ground, it is advisable not to disturb the bush and allow it to calmly grow green mass. In addition, the leaves of a young tarragon are not so fragrant.

Dried tarragon can be stored under appropriate conditions for 1.5-2 years

Tarragon greens for drying and treatment are best cut off either immediately before flowering, or during fruiting. During these periods, the concentration of essential oils in the leaves is maximum. But it should be remembered that in August the plant begins to prepare for wintering and it is undesirable to disturb it.

Stems are dried in a place protected from direct sunlight at a temperature of no higher than 35 ° C. Good ventilation is required. The process takes a little time, moisture in the green is only 5-7%. Then the leaves are separated from the stems (they should become brittle), ground into powder (manually or in a coffee grinder), poured into glass containers with a hermetically sealed lid, linen or paper bags. Store them in a dry, dark, cool place. It is important not to dry the greens - it should preserve the natural color. Useful properties and aroma persist for 1.5-2 years.

They dry any greens where direct sunlight does not fall on it.

After the crop is harvested for the first time during the season, experienced gardeners recommend completely cutting off the remaining stems and watering the garden plentifully. Greens in this case will quickly grow again. The leaves will be slightly smaller than before, but this will not affect the taste and aroma.

There are other ways to store tarragon:

• pickling. The greens are washed, dried, finely chopped, covered with salt in a ratio of 5: 1. Then they are laid out in sterilized jars, tamping well. Store in the cold, under plastic covers;
• freezing. Whole leaves and young twigs are laid out on baking sheets or trays covered with paper, for 2-3 minutes they are placed in the freezer, which operates in the "shock" freezing mode. Then, in small portions, they are laid out in special packages with a tight fastener. Defrosting and repeated freezing are strictly contraindicated - the leaves turn into an unappetizing slimy porridge;
• storage in oil or vinegar. The washed and dried greens are crushed, stacked in jars, sprinkled with salt, poured with any refined vegetable oil or vinegar essence so as to completely close the tarragon. Store in a cool place under a tightly closed lid.

Tarragon salting is not a very popular storage method, but in this form greens take up very little space

Growing tarragon in your garden is quite simple. This culture is extremely healthy, and spicy greens will be a good addition to the recipes of many homemade preparations and main dishes. There are many varieties bred by breeders, each gardener will be able to find the most suitable for himself.