Rita, did you direct seed your basil outdoors, or start inside? I always start mine under the lights, then transplant it out -- and have always had lots of plants come up, without doing anything special at all. Maybe you just got some bad seed or something? Basil is very sensitive to cold, though -- and I don't plant it until a bit later than most things, since it grows fast and I want it available when the tomatoes are ripe.