You might want to check under the leaves for tiny red mites and maybe even a bit of web. The leaves don't look that bad in that picture, and I can't think of anything else. If that's what it is, spray them off every couple of days with a water spray and remove all webbing. You can get fancy by making a garlic spray (linked below) which is probably a good idea for container gardening since you don't really need pollinators. Mites can be frustrating to say the least. I love growing basil, though it's a bit too cold up here for another month, I treat them like tomatoes. If you clip the top of a plant, it branches off to make more leaves. If you let one go to seed, you'll have enough seeds for several years. Basil is very easy to start from seed and you can never have enough.

Here is a link that might be useful: garlic spray

I also can't see the brown spots but you could also water it a little less. If it's not drooping or the leaves don't look withered, then encouraging the roots to go a little deeper won't hurt.

besides what is already mentioned, since you said you are new to the sweet basil, those stems are growing up pretty nice and straight. When they get a few good leaves on them (some people use 2 sets of leaves but it can be a little more) then be sure to pinch off the new growth from each branch. This will cause the basil to branch out more and more and by the end of the growing season, you should have plenty of basil branches.

It may do that on its own here and there but this is one case where the gardener helping it along by doing that will result in lots of harvest.

Thanks for your responses. The original pic posted was not very focused (just used my cell phone). I've added two new pics that show the progression of its condition. One leaf has a hole in it (bug problem?) and the top leaves are turning a brownish/purplish color. Could it be sunburn? Not sure. Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

This post was edited by christy51274 on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 11:31

Another follow-up pic...

The larger the container, the more stable the soil conditions and temps. The roots will be happier, and then the plant will be healthier and more productive. Basil does not like the cold or wind--you can treat it like a tomato plant in terms of environment preferences.