Question
I have not been successful in finding a nursery which sells herb plants in my area.  I finally found one that carries herbs-However, several of the plants (particularly the basils) have a brown discoloration in the stems, starting at the soil line.  At first sight I thought possibly they were dying.  Then I scratched gently on the stem where brown and it's very much alive and green underneath this discoloration.  The leaves are green too.  There are however a few brown leaves.  And some of the green leaves are falling off.  My question is whether or not to try and revive these plants (since I haven't been successful in finding other nurseries with plants) and what may be the cause of this discoloration.  My first thought was they were exposed to too much watering.  Thanks for any  assistance with my question.

Answer
Dera CJ:

Thank you for your question!

There are a whole bunch of answers to your question.  With regards to buying the plants you saw at the nursery, all I can say is it depends on how badly you want them.  I can't really diagnose any specific disease from the information that you gave me.  I have seen the stems on my own basil be brown at the soil line without any negative effects.  I wouldn't worry anout a couple of dead leaves as long as 75% of them are green and healthy.
Here are other options:
You could try buying your herb plants over the internet.  Just type "herb plants" into your search engine and shop away!  I have bought a couple of plants this way and been very satisfied.
If you are willing to wait a little longer, you can buy seeds and grow your own.  Both Johnny's Selected Seeds and Burpee have wide selections of quality herb seeds to choose from.
What ever you decide, feel free to ask additional questions.
Sincerely,     David F. Balshukat