We are expected to have 100+ degrees Fahrenheit for the next 3 days. My plants are already looking pretty wilted. They get 12 hours of sunlight, often dry and windy as well. I'm really worried I will lose some of the weaker plants during this heat, but I don't want to shade them if I will hurt them from growing.
I have two tomato plants (beefeater, and cherry tomatos), a yellow bell pepper and red bell pepper, an eggplant and a jalapeno pepper. And two blueberry bushes.
For tomatoes: yes, they don't like very high temperature. On professional greenhouses, it is customary to shadows them on summer.
I think aubergine could have similar problem, and heat could block the growth of the fruits, so when they have better temperature they could take strange forms, or not growth again.
I don't think peppers would have problems (but also no problem if you shadow them).
Providing some shade during the hottest part of the day (usually roughly between 11-3 pm) if the sun is shining would be beneficial in such high temperatures, but sometimes, it's hot without sunshine, in which case, there's not much point in providing shade. If its dry and particularly windy as well, and the plants are already wilting, you certainly need to increase your watering,
I am in the San Francisco/Bay Area and we occasionally get 100 degree days as well. I don't have any shelter in my raised beds to protect from the sun and my peppers and tomatoes do just fine. The only thing I have to do is ensure I am watering them manually (in addition to the automatic drip) so that they don't start wilting. I do have my house fence which provides some wind protection but not a whole lot. As suggested, it would also depend on where you are located.
