okay so we tilled up the new garden. I popped some herbs in one section. two basil plants with an oregano plant between them.
The basils looked good for a couple of weeks but now the leaves are starting to turn yellowish and leaves nearer the ground are falling off. The oregano that is between the two of them is going strong and healthy.
Are the basil plants needing something they aren't getting? It's been raining a lot but not too much the rest of the garden likes it. It has been cool though and from what I've read basil likes heat. Could it just be too cool for them? We've had nighttime temps as low as the mid 50s this week with a couple of days highs in the mid 60s.

Just feed them some fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. They need lots of nitrogen.

from wiki "Yellow leaves towards the bottom of the plant are an indication that the plant needs more sunlight or less fertilizer.
"

I think I read the OP as, the top leaves are yellowing, and the bottom leaves are yellowed/dying. When I've had that with basil, I've fertilized them, and they've recovered and turned dark green and grown quickly. Yellowing leaves usually indicate lack of nitrogen.

ETA: Careful, you can overdo it w/fertilizing basil too - but if they've been in the ground a few weeks or so, and depending on the soil they're in, they could use a light fertilizing:

Caring For Basil (http://yardener.com/YardenersPlantHelper/FoodCropPlants/CulinaryHerbs/Basil/CaringForBasil)

from here: Lingle's Herbs Free Herb Newsletter I.2 (http://www.linglesherbs.com/nletters/newsi2.htm)

Readily available is most garden centers, fish emulsion is usually rated about 5-1-1, providing nice, sustainable leaf growth in your basil plants while not promoting bloom.

I have given mine a spare drink with fish emulsion every 2 weeks and I also have the bottom yellow leaves. I will lay off of the fert and see if that helps!!