Why won’t the ground take my seed?

I’m playing a bit of hardcore and I’m building a farm. My problem is that sometimes when I go to plant one the ground refuses to take my seed.

This is unacceptable! Resources are short. Sometimes walking a large distance away changes this though.

So I’m wondering is this an in-game mechanic I am unaware of or is this a bug? The wiki has no mention of this as an in-game mechanic. I am using Java version 1.14.2.

Here is a screenshot of one of the affected areas:

I have tried removing the block, re-hoeing, and attempting to sow the seed again. Nothing worked. I even tried the soil in different states (wet or dry).

Seeds are afraid of the dark, they don´t like the dark and cold farmland when the light level of the block they are in is under 8. They will want to stay with you, so you can keep them warm and protected.

Seeds are so afraid of the dark that they may "pop off" the ground in an attempt to find a player who can take care of them.

Give them a night light if you want your seeds to feel safe in a cave: