A wet start to the working week has excited gardeners across the ACT, encouraging some to start planning their winter vegetable allotments.
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Horticulturalist Jacinta Milligan, who works at the Yarralumla Nursery, said cooler temperatures and autumn rainfall had created perfect conditions for planting trees in the territory.
"Now that the weather is starting to cool down a bit they are easier to grow and of course the leaves of existing trees can be used in their compost," she said.
Ms Milligan said ornamental pears, Chinese pistache and maple trees were good options for those seeking to add colour to their gardens.
Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said the rainfall on Monday morning may have taken many by surprise on their way to work.
"In the 24 hours until 9am on Monday, Canberra picked up 7.8 millimetres of rain, with the heaviest falls recorded around 8.30am when everyone was trying to leave for work."
"The temperature at this time was 17.2 degrees, with the average lowest temperature for the month of March being 10.7 degrees."
Ms Milligan said Canberra gardeners should be making the most of favourable conditions and planting new vegetables.
"With the season changing this is the time to be planting all your winter vegetables like broccoli and potatoes," she said. "Kale is also really good at the moment.
"Spinach, peas, and root vegetables like beetroot all need to go in now because the ground is still a little warm so they will germinate properly."
Ms Westcott said the rest of the week would be dry, but that showers were expected early next week.
"Morning temperatures will be getting a little cooler under clear skies and light winds," Ms Westcott said. Overnight temperatures on Friday and Saturday will drop to about 4 degrees.
Ms Milligan said her nursery colleagues had noticed an increasing interest in gardening in recent years thanks to healthier lifestyles and environmental concerns.
"Each year we tend to be getting more people coming to us," she said. "They are interested in growing their own food because of the carbon footprint involved in shipping food across the globe."
The seasonal change is also good news for Canberra's photographers, who can capture the golden-brown leaves of trees.
The Canberra Times' autumn photo competition gives photographers a chance to have their images published in the paper or on our website.
Send a maximum of three photos attached as JPEG files and include your name, address, phone number, photo title, a description of the photo and the date it was taken.
Photos must be at least 150 kilobytes and no more than one megabyte. Winners will take home a share of the $1000 prize.
Entries close on May 31.
