what to grow in clay pots?

What does well in clay pots? I live in California, usda zone 8b/9a. Summers can get pretty hot, into the hundreds. This year I am focusing on herbs and vegetables. What are your thoughts?

I would sink a clay pot into another larger clay pot with the space in between filled with sand. Keep the sand moist.

In theory that will help keep the pot from drying out as clay pots tend to do.

Since I no longer have my gardens this year is my year to master container gardening - so I don't know if the suggestion above will work or not -- but it is on my 'to-try-out' list.

Our very first summer here we learned the hard way to ditch the unglazed clay pots. They simply dry out too fast, and we have more to do in a day than water potted plants two and three times daily! The commonest alternative, black plastic, can have its own issues with overheating. So we keep potted stuff in light shade whenever we can, whether or not the kind of plant traditionally prefers sun. For aesthetic pots, we choose clay with a plastic liner, or a plastic pot set down inside of a clay one.

Basil does well in clay pots. So does cilantro. They are both small plants that do well with daily attention. Basil needs constant snipping of the flowers, if you want to get it nice and bushy to make a lot of pesto with. And if the summer sun gets too intense, as it can with cilantro and make it want to bolt, you can always move the pot to a cooler or shadier location.

Hot peppers also do well in clay pots. Americans seem to forget that hot pepper plants are perennials, and grow them as an annual crop in the field. If you grow them in pots and bring them in for the winter, you can keep them going for several years.

Thanks for the all the replies. I am learning a few things.