WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Artemisia dracunculus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water tarragon in California

In July in the Central Valley, established tarragon in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Tarragon is a slender, upright culinary herb with narrow, aromatic leaves prized for their anise-like flavor. It favors soil on the dry side and resents standing water around its roots. An established clump spreads slowly from its own roots and tolerates longer stretches between waterings than most kitchen herbs.

PerennialCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water tarragon, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for tarragon and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • A tarragon clump that stays dull and slightly curled through a hot afternoon, with dry soil underneath, needs a soak
  • Few new shoots rising from the base in spring can follow a cold, wet winter, so check that the crown is not sitting in soggy soil
  • Blackened stems at the soil line in ground that stays wet can indicate root or crown rot from overwatering
  • A clump declining during a wet, humid summer needs a drainage check before more water

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump, soaking the root zone rather than wetting the narrow leaves
  • Let the soil dry out noticeably between waterings once the clump is established
  • Use well-drained, neutral soil, since tarragon struggles in heavy clay that holds water
  • Space plants so air moves freely around the stems and foliage dries quickly after any watering
  • Divide a crowded clump every few years rather than relying on more frequent watering

Through the seasons

A newly planted tarragon clump needs even moisture while its roots establish in the bed. Established plants die back to the base in winter in cooler parts of the state and send up new growth from the roots each spring. Watering matters most from spring growth through the summer harvest season, and letting the soil dry between waterings suits this herb better than constant moisture. Winter rain can meet its needs where it is rated moderate, though a dry spell during active growth still calls for a check. WUCOLS rates tarragon moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in the high desert. It rates low water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the low desert.

In pots

Tarragon grows well in a container with a well-drained mix, since its roots dislike sitting wet. Check the top couple of inches during California summer heat and water once that layer turns dry. Let water pass fully through the drainage holes, then empty the saucer so the roots do not sit in standing water. A terra cotta pot suits this herb well, since it lets the mix dry between waterings. In winter, water sparingly as growth slows and the top may die back to the base.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Tarragon: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.310.74–
Feb0.530.650.810.350.93–
Mar0.871.091.150.521.46–
Apr1.181.521.40.641.89–
May1.462.081.610.782.39–
Jun1.612.481.740.922.85–
Jul1.612.671.9813.04–
Aug1.492.391.860.932.79–
Sep1.241.81.490.742.14–
Oct0.871.181.150.531.46–
Nov0.470.560.840.360.93–
Dec0.310.340.650.270.65–
Year1217.1115.57.3721.27–

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated moderate water in the Central Valley, like tarragon. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than tarragon in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes tarragon, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water tarragon in summer?

In July, established tarragon in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 14 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does tarragon need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established tarragon needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for tarragon change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates tarragon separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is tarragon a California native plant?

Yes. Wild tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, is native to western North America, and WUCOLS lists it as a California native. The culinary French tarragon is a selected cultivar of the same species with a stronger flavor.

Why does my tarragon have no flavor?

Check whether the plant is true French tarragon, since wild tarragon has little fragrance and a bland flavor. French tarragon rarely flowers and is grown from divisions or cuttings.

Can tarragon handle heavy clay soil?

Not especially well, since it is prone to root and crown rot where soil stays wet, which heavy clay often does after watering or rain. Amending the bed or planting in a raised area improves drainage. Good drainage matters more here than rich soil.

Does tarragon come back every year?

Yes, established plants are perennial and regrow from the roots each spring after dying back in winter. Harsh cold in an unusually hard winter can kill the top growth back further than usual. The roots typically survive where the plant is rated for the climate.

How often should I harvest tarragon to keep it productive?

Regular light harvesting through the growing season encourages new, tender growth. This does not change how often the soil needs checking before watering. Ease off heavy harvesting in fall as the plant heads toward dormancy.

More plant watering guides

DahliasHibiscusMagnolia TreesPalm TreesSago PalmStar JasmineHoneysuckleFerns

Sources