In the world of horticulture, Texada Garden Club (TGC) co-founder and only president Cheryl Nyl is what you could call a late bloomer. A parent with young children when she planted her first garden, Cheryl, 62, blossomed into being a leader and local expert in organic farming.
Cheryl was born in New Westminster but moved to Texada Island as a baby when her father, Stan Willes, a trained meat cutter, opened a butcher shop in Van Anda. The business later became Texada Food Market, which still operates across the street from its original location.
Cheryl grew up in Van Anda at a time when many families with children lived on the island. “We grew up with lots of freedom to go out after breakfast and not come home until dinner. That freedom was wonderful and made us unafraid to tackle things to this day.” Her mother, who still lives on Texada, had a small garden, but Cheryl says she “never thought about it much.”
After completing grade 12 in Powell River, Cheryl met her future husband Marvin Nyl, who had moved to the island from Alberta to work for the quarry. She told him not to “get serious,” because she was moving to Victoria and did so for six months to work for an accounting firm. She returned when Marvin proposed and they were married in 1968.
They rented and then built a house in Van Anda, but Cheryl was too busy to plant a garden at either location. In the 1970s, Cheryl’s father built the general store in Gillies Bay and Marvin managed it for the first five years. They moved to Gillies Bay. With two small children, the Nyls rented a farm and with no experience in growing anything, Cheryl put in her first garden. It was about 300 square feet and she discovered “how rewarding it is to see things grow.” Soon thereafter, they bought 40 acres of wild land, cleared it and established Bull Meadow Farm.
“At first it was like camping with no water, hydro, road or house. But as soon as possible I began planting. I knew nothing about a garden, especially vegetables, but I knew I wanted to grow enough to put away for the winter, so I started asking a lot of questions. When I saw a garden I liked I asked the people what they did to achieve good results.” Cheryl also read gardening books, with Pacific Gardener by A. R. Willis becoming her “bible.”
“I learned about planting, propagating and soil qualities,” Cheryl recalled. “I learned to adapt the soil to the needs of the plant and began experimenting with ‘companion’ planting by combining different flowers and vegetables together. Every year, I increased the amount grown and every year I tried something new. Gardening is an on-going experiment.”
She learned that certain plants require certain nutrients and began adding organic fertilizer produced on Texada at Welcome Harvest Farm. “I really like to know what goes into the food I eat.” She currently uses compost, seaweed and chicken manure, as well as organic fertilizer “to match the plant’s needs with an optimal growing environment.”
Cheryl’s vegetable garden, which covers about 3,700 square feet, is supplemented with 19 blueberry bushes, and fruit trees including apple, pear, cherry and peach. She also raises chickens and ducks and recently purchased a small herd of Irish Dexter cows. “When it comes to farming, I love it all.”
TGC was born in 2005 during a conversation between Cheryl and friend Mary Leopkey. The two felt a local club was needed, so they invited islanders to a meeting and 15 people showed up. Cheryl was elected president and has been re-elected ever since.
“At first we were very informal, sharing tips and information and we still make time for this at our monthly meetings. But we also have different themes or speakers each month, including amending soils, bees, garden tools and seed exchanges, as well as special workshops. Some clubs focus on flowers, but we tend to focus on food. Food gardens are very important to making individual families sustainable. We want to promote growing as much food as possible close to home. Even in a small space, a lot can be produced.”
The now-50-member TGC hosts a biennial garden tour to showcase achievements of island growers. This year’s theme is “The Edible Garden,” with the tour planned for Sunday, August 14. Tickets will be available at Powell River nurseries and island locations.
