Long before glyphosate became the gardener's shortcut of choice, my grandfather Tom

Daunt was tending the gardens of Cork with patience, skill, and a kettle of boiling water.

Tom was head gardener at the Model Farm on Model Farm Road in Cork — a man who kept

a beautiful flower garden at the front of his house and a productive kitchen garden at the

back. He rarely pulled weeds by hand. Instead, he used boiling water: a simple, time-

honoured method that kills weeds and their roots at a cellular level, leaving no trace and

causing no harm.

‍

In the fifty years since his passing, we developed contact and systemic herbicides — and

reached for them without a second thought. Glyphosate became the quick fix of choice. But

the environment has paid a price for that convenience, and restrictions on chemical

herbicide use are now tightening across Ireland and Europe.

‍

Perhaps, as Tom knew all along, the traditional methods deserve another chance.

Hot water does more than kill the plant you can see. Applied at the right stage of growth, it

destroys weed seeds in the soil too — meaning the available seed bank for future weed

growth declines year after year. Gardeners have a saying: “One year’s seeding, seven

years’ weeding.” Hot water weed control works against that problem from the very first

treatment.

‍

Four treatments per season is sufficient for most gardens and outdoor spaces. It takes a little

more effort than reaching for a spray bottle — but there is real satisfaction in knowing that

what you are doing is effective, sustainable, and completely free of chemicals.