10. Tarragon – The two main varieties of tarragon are French and Russian. The Russian plant is hardier but the French version is the one you want for your indoor herb garden. It is the one used in culinary uses. French tarragon does not produce seed so you will have to get a cutting or purchase a plant at a local nursery. Tarragon is a native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from Asia to India to Europe to America to Mexico. French tarragon is thought to have originated in the Caspian Sea area or Serbia. Tarragon normally grows from 12 to 24 inches tall. One plant per household will produce all you need.
Variety shown is Artemisia dracunculus
which grows to 18 inches tall
Starting – Start French tarragon seed in a 6 inch pot. Tarragon will tolerate poor soils as long as the soil is light and well-drained. Transplant your nursery plant to an 8 inch container in stages following the one size bigger pot rule each time. Since tarragon produces tightly intertwined roots, you may need to loosen them a bit with a fork before transplanting. Once transplanted water lightly and drain well then let dry before watering again. It will tolerate very dry soils and hates wet, soggy or compacted soils. Fertilize with a diluted fish emulsion liquid or with diluted Age Old brand liquid kelp every couple of months and water it in. But be sure to drain the plant well after watering. Tarragon likes soil PH in the 6.0 to the 7.5 range and does not like acidic soil less than PH 6.0. The leaves are the part you will use in cooking. Leaves are about one inch long, spiky, dark green and aromatic. Put your tarragon in a sunny location where it will get a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of sunlight a day. Then supplement with florescent grow lighting.
Harvesting – The young top leaves yield the best flavor. If you cut the top bushy growth, you will encourage new growth to form a more compact bushy plant.
Storing – May be cut, wrapped in a paper towel and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It may also be dried and frozen. Or it may be dried and stored in airtight containers out of direct sunlight.
Uses – Tarragon has many uses. It is the base in béarnaise sauce. It is used in chicken tarragon or other herbed poultry, beef or pork recipes. Use it in tuna salad or with fish or seafood recipes. It can be used to make flavored butters, oils and vinegars. You can even combine it with Brie cheese for a sauce to put on waffles. The link below goes to some great tarragon recipes.
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/bltarragon.htm