Beginner Gardening: Overwhelmed with my Sweet Basil seedlings, what to do next?, 1 by DavidinTX

DavidinTX wrote:
Okay guys this is where my ignorance of this plant is showing; I need some advice on what to do next. I'm a little overwhelmed with the amount of plants in such a small container, read on, it will make sense. :)

It's my first time trying to grow some Sweet Basil, using a tiny 8"x8" cake tin, I scattered some seed not knowing what to expect and left it to grow on the backstairs.

I also made the mistake of listening to the advice of someone who claimed they had no luck growing Basil here in Houston; now I'm not sure why that is because my first experience of the plant is that it grows fiercely and germinates quickly here in H-town. In fact it loves the climate, seems to be quite a hardy plant which doesn't need much attention. Quite possibly this is the easiest thing I have ever grown! Anyway this 'advice' I expect had something to do with my hap-hazard even careless sowing of the seeds.

As you can see from the picture I have a lot of seedlings, and now need to thin them out. At ants eye-level, it's like a tiny forest in there. Realistically this is way over the amount of plants that I will want or need for my garden, so I'm open to suggestions on how I should plant the ones that I keep for myself. What should I expect of this plant, and what size of crop can I expect from a few plants.

I'm contemplating building a little raised bed in wooden borders for these. Otherwise I'll be planting them alongside my tomatoes. Advice please. :)