Can I Grow French Tarragon in Kansas?

USDA Zones 5b-7a · Plant zone range 3-7

Yes — Strong Match

French tarragon (zones 3-7) covers every zone Kansas contains (5b-7a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.

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Kansas spans zones 5b-7a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score french tarragon against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

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Zone Comparison

French Tarragon Needs

  • USDA Zones: 3-7
  • Picking window: ~90 days of harvest

Kansas Has

  • USDA Zones: 5b-7a
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 1 - Apr 12
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
  • Annual Rainfall: 16-42 inches
  • Common Soils: Prairie loam, Silt loam, Clay

Plant Zone Range (zones 3-7)

3a
7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant French Tarragon in Kansas

The frost window

Across Kansas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 196-day window you can count on — up to 216 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

French Tarragon in Kansas — Quick Answer

  • Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
  • Plant Zones: 3-7 (USDA PLANTS Database)
  • State Zones: 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
  • Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 1 - Apr 12 to Oct 25 - Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)

What Else to Consider for French Tarragon in Kansas

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kansas growers also need to think about:

Low rainfall in western KS requires irrigation

Extreme wind and hail during severe storm season

Hot dry summers with 100F+ days

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kansas grower, not just french tarragon — is covered on the Kansas growing guide.

Where in Kansas French Tarragon Is Zone-Hardy

French Tarragon is rated for USDA zones 37. Every one of Kansas’s 105 counties sits inside that band — from Atchison County at zone 6a to Wilson County at zone 7a — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.

Across those 105 counties Kansas’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Atchison County to zone 7a in Wilson County 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.

The planting window moves with it. Rawlins County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 23, while Cherokee County is clear by Mar 24 30 days apart. Set french tarragon out on your county’s date, not the state’s.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". French Tarragon’s zone 37 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Where in Kansas Fits Best

Even within Kansas's zones 5b-7a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for french tarragon (USDA PHZM 2023):

Kansas Cooperative Extension

For Kansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for french tarragon, the canonical source is K-State Research and Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Common Questions About Growing French Tarragon in Kansas

When can I plant French Tarragon in Kansas?

Kansas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.

What hardiness zone is French Tarragon grown in across Kansas?

Kansas spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). French Tarragon carries a range of zones 3-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Kansas site have?

A typical Kansas site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). French Tarragon should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.

Will French Tarragon actually grow on my specific land in Kansas?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores french tarragon against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Kansas

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores french tarragon against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Kansas french tarragon averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Kansas averages 208Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Kansas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kansas french tarragon average

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