How big are the plants? If they are tiny seedlings, maybe not enough time. If reasonably well grown plants get picking. There's little point in growing the basil at all if you're not going to pick it for use before it gets frosted.

of course i'm going to pick, i just wondered if i could expect it to produce even more if i picked it right now or whether i should just wait till the end of the season and do all the pesto making at one time. i am trying to encourage the most growth.

OK - I didn't know you were going to make pesto. I use basil fresh all the time it's growing but don't do pesto.