I needed a planter big enough to give some room to the store bought basil plants, that would still fit on my kitchen window sill. Most people don't realize that the reason why store bought basil dies quickly is that there are A LOT of individual plants in a small plastic pot. So with a little bit of patience you can separate the single plants and transplant in the bigger planter. Don't forget to cut the plant after the first or second pair of leaves so it will make two branches and keep going untill you get a very thick bush.