Making use of hearty, fast-growing plants for shade can be beneficial to the plant as well as offering shade for the gardener.  The sun in the middle of the day is the hottest and growing plants on straight steaks won’t help with temperature.  Consider growing in an arch where you, the gardener, can get some overhead coverage from the sun.  This also shades the plant’s root area and helps with water retention in the soil.

Worms are so important to the health of your garden.  It’s recently been discovered that a worm simply rubbing up against a plant’s roots can inoculate that plant against most soil-born diseases.