Spinach, spinach, wherefore art thou?

So far, my experiment with refrigerating spinach seeds is a bust, of the forty or so seeds that we have planted, only two have fully sprouted. I see that other people have similar problems. Sounds like it is time to get some fresh seeds, though mine are only 1 year old.

Here is a more scientific discussion of germination rates which indicates that the greatest percentage of spinach seeds will germinate at 50 deg F, but will take 12 days to do so. Maybe if I rotate the seeds in and out of the refrigerator each morning and evening...?

According to my notes from last year, forsythia, hyacinth and daffodils were already in bloom today. All that I have seen this year are the crocus flowers which somehow survived being buried by 6 inches of snow. Thankfully, the last vestiges of snow have disappeared.

I received the soil blocker in the mail late last week. I am hoping to try it out tonight with the tomato, basil and pepper seeds.