Perfect heads of butter lettuce, oak lettuce, silverbeet and broccolini spring from eight tidy planter boxes.

There are ZipGrow lettuce towers in the corner, beds of parsley, coriander, basil and ... a fish garden.

A fish garden? Surely fish live in rivers or oceans or at least in pens in fish farms. Yes, they do but these fish - in this case, two hundred rainbow trout - grow in a garden. You can plant barramundi, yabbies, types of perch - many freshwater fish, in fact. So which end of the fish do you plant?

Ask Grant Blanchard or Rory Matthews of Agri-Trade International Pty Ltd, the brains and brawn behind this enterprise.

"This is Aquaponics, a cross between hydroponics and fish farming," Mr Blanchard said.

Local MP Pru Goward was invited to officially open the centre recently.

"I celebrate the vision of the Blanchards and Agri-Trade International and I am told some ten to fifteen jobs may be created here. It's good to see China learning from Australia," she said.

Julie Blanchard spoke too and said how lovely it was to be back in Canyonleigh. She congratulated Grant on his passion and dedication - and their friend, Dennis Mudd, previously the Principal of Moss Vale High School, who helped Grant to build the garden.

The opening was well attended by many Canyonleigh residents, Nick Ritar of Milkwood Permaculture, friends and family, Kevin Griffin director Agri-Trade International, and John Hewson, formerly Liberal Party leader, now chairman of Agri-Trade International Pty Ltd.

It certainly is an impressive garden, full of glossy green vegetables, and everyone was offered a free lettuce to take home. The fish were camera-shy on this occasion, despite John Gray, manager of Satori Springs's, best efforts to entice them out with fish food but then it was still technically winter on August 31. Yes, you have to feed the fish and monitor to ensure fish-friendly water, then even the wildest vegetarian dreams can come true.

The fish are for eating too!

The sun shone on the Blanchards and Agri-Trade International's opening day as we hope it will on their prospects to help feed the people of China with ideas all the way from Canyonleigh.

For information on setting up your own Aquaponics operation, please contact John Gray, manager of Satori Springs, on 02 4878 9305 or email info@satorisprings.com.au.

By Sara J Green