Carol,
Took me awhile to understand the intense afternoon sun here! The basil is dry! Mine does the same thing. I water when the sun is NOT out, either early am or dusk.
I must say my basil grew much better in NYC. And btw, I also planted ginger here and it did great!
Just bought a piece and let it sprout, cut it up and put it in a planter.
Cheers
irina