Not a Norway maple but I have cut through the root web of a maple tree and planted both herbaceous and tree peonies under it. It would be better to plant at a greater distance than 3-6 feet because the branches could keep the plants from getting enough moisture except in a very wet season. Dig down through the root web to see how deep the root webbing goes. If you would put a pot or other barrier deeper than that you could retard the root growth in that area. A herbaceous really like more sun than provided by a maple. Mine has grown and flowered but not sent up many stems. Bulbs of all kinds would do better.

Good to see that you've got your pots of seeds covered. When they do sprout (be patient!), remove the plastic. It could get too hot in there, especially in the sun. Looks great.

It may recover but I'd put it out of its misery and replant. You'll lose precious time and this is a variety prone to stop producing in hot summer weather. In the meantime you should do a bit of investigation work so it doesn't reoccur.

Here are some pictures of the plant I was concerned about: I've also noticed the leaves on most all of my toms are getting a leathery texture and curling a bit. This is my first time growing tomatoes so I have no idea if this is normal. These are pictures of my sweet millions and cherokee purple, they seem to be growing like weeds but I'm a bit obsessed. Thanks for any input! Those were the sweet millions, then again on my CHerokee Purple I see the leaves getting leathery and kind of curling.