Ask around in your area. Putting down black plastic is really going to heat up the ground down there in sunshine land. I'd only try a couple of rows the first year. If you use the plastic and drip irrigation you might be better off. But drip irrigation might not be practical for a vegetable garden.
Drip irrigation is plastic tubing that drips water around the base of the plants.
This is only my second season at attempting a vegetable garden. Last year it got so hot that no amount of water kept that soil moist. You should be able to buy a compost mix by the yard. That's about all you can do. However, there are some people that believe that by covering the area with plastic and just cuttings slits and planting through the slits helps.