Newbie, not knowing what you have sown, a broad answer is that most seeds need water, oxygen, and proper temperature in order to germinate. Some seeds require light too but not all - a lot of seeds are fine covered after sowing - at the right depth - and your seed packet will tell you which need to be surface sown, which seeds will benefit from some light. There is only a certain amount of energy contained in the seed for germinating, pushing up through the soil (or sowing medium) towards light. Planting seeds too deeply could cause them to use all of their stored energy before reaching the soil surface, buried under your mulch for a month and kept damp, some could have germinated and died. I'm having trouble picturing how you could remove mulch and find your seed. If it were my garden, I would pull back the mulch where I want plants to grow, sow new seed, then push the mulch back again (up to but not over the crowns of the seedlings) when plants are up and growing. I don't think anyone is necessarily born knowing how to garden, we all make mistakes along the way. Keep asking questions and enjoy yourself, enjoy the learning process. If on your sign in line where your user name is - you could add your gardening zone or State, it would be helpful in answering future questions. We could be more specific to needs in your particular climate then - see my own, Z8 WA coast

Scarlett, heavy mulching and direct sowing don't mix. The mulch is going to prevent weed seeds from germinating, will feed and help to condition the soil, help prevent compaction in your beds with heavy fall and winter rains but its going to inhibit germination of desirable seeds you might sow too. Its not going to smother aggressive or perennial weeds that have already taken hold - no way around it, you're going to need to pull those getting the roots out too so they don't resprout. There are a number of type weed seeds that will germinate in Fall and Winter here so mulch applied before Fall rains begin will cut down on your coming season chores, weeding. It looks like we share our zone. What time of year you apply your mulch isn't as critical here (looking your post in the soils/compost forum)...ground doesn't really freeze to any depth in a normal winter. I will try to do my major cleanup and mulching in Spring but for a number of reasons this year I'm finishing up now. We're still restoring beds (year two in this location) and I've just now finished spreading 8 yards of purchased compost as a top dressing as my mulch for this year.....beds had been long neglected and were overrun run with alder, blackberry, ivy. If you'll look above at FAQs, you'll see that the type of winter sowing done and discussed here is accomplished in pots or recycled containers outdoors in winter....most use recycled, while I use pots (have hundreds over many years). That would work for you with the seeds you would like to start - you could do your bed cleaning and mulching now. In Spring when you have seedlings and young plants, you can pull back the mulch in the areas you are working, plant your perennials from the containers they have germinated in, push the mulch back into place around them. So, my shorter response is, get those weeds under control and your beds and its soil in shape - then concentrate on planting. There really is not a good way to both at the same time, and you'll benefit from doing the preliminary work first more than you can know. Soil and weeds first, permanent plantings later.

I think the goat is kinda cute, goats have pretty eyes. Does he whine or mew or bleat or whatever sound goats make when you're paying more attention to the dog? Many years ago I wanted to increase my columbines, so I took the dried stems of the few I had in the garden and shook them around here and there. It took over a year before I saw all the blooms, but I had an array petal count, some with or without spurs, and a range of blues, pinks, purple, plum, white and an odd grey color--well, the grey wasn't bad and actually was lovely--you just don't expect grey for a flower bloom. Open-pollinated columbine seedlings are like a mixed litter of kittens, you never know what you'll get but you'll love everyone. I do a lot of seed packing here and as expected some of it hits the floor :-O but waste not want not--I have a new bagless vacuum with a catcher cup which I dump over the side of the porch behind a shrub. I don't know all that will sprout there but it will amaze. Yesterday I finished packing out a large bag of mixed wildflowers--once you get to the bottom there's more chaff than seed, though it is still loaded with a lot of very small seeds. Well, it doesn't look right for sharing so I dumped the remainder over the other side of the porch railing--that's gonna be a sight when those sprout and grow too. Direct sowing can be a hazardous thing--not to the sower but to the seeds. Seeds are food! and Mother Nature will take as many as she can. So, when you're direct sowing you must sow heavily to avoid disappointment, you must be realistic and expect less than a ten percent of the seeds you sow will survive long enough to bloom--ten percent might actually be a high number. But if you're sowing 40,000 poppy seeds then 400 plants is still 400 plants. Obviously results will vary based on predator, climate, and skill and tools of the gardener; but when it comes down to it direct sown seed survival is mostly dependant on luck--you either get eaten or you don't. Mother Nature is very hungry.

Definitely replant. You could wait forever. How did it turn out? Have you considered pre-sprouting? Soak them overnight, place them on a paper towel that's wet but not dripping, fold it up, and put it in a plastic baggy. Check it at least twice a day after 24 hours. (This adds air.) It must stay damp. I put it somewhere warm, in most cases. It depends on the seed variety. When you see that a root is beginning to protrude, plant in well-prepared ground, or in 6-packs. It works for me. Good luck! And being a newbie is great. You'll have tons of fun learning and researching. These mistakes are one we all made, so don't feel badly. :D