Thank you! The secret is killing a ton of plants until you improve enough to keep them alive, and then killing more until you can keep them happy bee fingerguns emoji
Spider mites are a tricky pest when the plants prefer a dryer soil, but I've had some success with a layer of sand on top of the potting mix, which might be worth a try. And there are so many cool varieties of basil that I totally encourage you to try from seed! I know you're going to have that kitchen garden rocking in no time