Basil, especially seedlings, is very intolerant of cold temperatures. You
don't say where you live, but if your nighttime temperatures have even a
chance of falling below 50F., it's too early for basil. I have some in pots
I put out on sunny days, but bring in at night, and I won't plant it out for
weeks to come, and I'll harden them off before I do. I'm not sure why I
bother, except for the pleasure of watching them grow, because direct
seeding in the garden once the soil warms up will give me plants big enough
to pick from at about the same time the transplants get going.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

On another subject, I got some basil going and transplanted the plants
outside at about 3". The leaves immediately started turning yellow and
then
black and the plants died. Can anyone give me an idea of what might have
caused this?

I have had success with starting other plants from seed and transplanting
them, so it must be something specific to these two.

TIA

Bernard Golden