[Ali T]

Hi all - quick question about Russian tarragon - I love tarragon to use as a herb and want to grow some in the plot, but can only find Russian, not French tarragon seeds. Is Russian tarragon really different in taste to the French variety, if so is it worth growing? Ta!

[New shoot]

I grow it.  French tarragon never survives over winter for me and I am in the south east of England.  The Russian tarragon I have comes up every year and is at least 5 years old now.

It’s milder and fresher tasting, but good in salads, coleslaw and for adding at the end of cooked dishes. If you want to preserve it over winter, I would go with freezing it in ice cubes, as drying it seems to rob it of most of its flavour.

[Ali T]

Thank you for the info New Shoot! Yep, I'll definitely give it a go this year 

[JayG]

I grow it.  French tarragon never survives over winter for me and I am in the south east of England.

I can't even get French tarragon to thrive in summer here - over at least 5 years I've tried it in full sun, part shade, fed it, starved it, watered it, left it alone, 'and have yet to get more than one or two modest pickings per year. 

The dried herb isn't too bad actually IMHO, but I might try the Russian version this year even though it's usually described as having an inferior flavour.

[New shoot]

I don’t know about inferior.  It is different - not so aniseedy and intense, but I think it is fine.  It does not quite pack as much as a punch if you cook it for any length of time as the French version, but I just add it at the end instead.

French tarragon will grow for me over the summer, but the Russian tarragon is way more vigorous and I can pick loads without worrying about it.