When to harvest Tarragon (French) in the UK
Tarragon (French) is planted rather than sown from seed, so the dates below are harvest dates.
Harvest dates by region
Tarragon (French) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Harvest |
|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to late October |
| East Anglia | late March to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to late October |
| Northern England | late March to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to late October |
| Northern Ireland | late March to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to late October |
Growing notes
French tarragon is not sold as seed - it rarely flowers or sets viable seed - so buy a plant in spring or summer and plant it out from mid-spring to early summer, 20cm from its neighbours. It struggles in cold wet UK winters, so grow it in a 20cm pot that can be moved somewhere dry, cut back to the lowest new shoots in spring and divide every few years.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 20 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 16
- Yield per plant
- 0.1 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 8 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 20 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 1 year after planting, and a productive life of roughly 3 years.
What usually goes wrong
- powdery mildew
- rust
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for tarragon (french).