Debbie, I'm another on the "pots" team here. Not only do I have really terrible soil, but my yard is mostly shaded by huge oak trees so i need to move the herb pots to keep them in the sun. Btw, yes most herbs need 6 hours or so of full direct sun to develop tasty leaves and grow in a healthy way. Many of our culinary herbs originate from the Mediterranean region - very similar to your So. Cal climate actually. They grow wild and thrive in the hot, dry climate there.
The problem with pots as stated above is that you must water them regularly. Part of this problem is solved by using really large pots that don't dry out, and I have now installed micro-irrigation throughout my back yard, that is on timers so that I can go away on trips and not come back to dead plants. I also use Earth Boxes for most of my veggies and flowers. They are like a large window box with a water reservoir in the bottom, and come with plastic covers to cover the soil on top as well which makes them incredibly water efficient and also keeps the soil temperature down. (the covers are white on one side and black on the other so I use the white side up to keep my soil cooler, except in winter) My herbs grow very happily in those, and the micro sprinklers fill up the water reservoirs daily so once I've planted them I just need to enjoy watching them grow, and harvest the delicious leaves and fruits.
Another important tip - basil starts very quickly and easily from seeds and you can sample so many more flavors if you buy seeds instead of plants. It's much cheaper, too. Look at a few websites that sell seeds and you'll see so many different types besides the regular sweet basil. I have Thai basil, Lime basil and a variegated one growing right now. I've also had Cinnamon basil, Cardinal basil (has big, beautiful flower heads) and a few others that have been so interesting. Here's a page with 20 different types available
http://www.rareseeds.com/store...
