sow winter cover crop into summer crop?

I have only owned my land for a few years and I am planning on turning it into a bit of a food forest. My question is about winter/ fall cover crops. I am at the end of my gardening season and about to transition to fall cover crops (winter rye, daikon radish and oats). My plot is about a 1/4 acre and I want to (be lazy) interfere with nature as little as possible. Can I just spread in the aforementioned seed mixture and let nature take its course? Or, is is necessary from anyone's experience to hoe all the grasses (weeds), cowpeas, buckwheat, etc that is still alive on the land to ensure all my winter seeds germinate properly? I hope to just tear down all the existing vegetable plants and not have to weed a 1/4 acre.

Any perspectives/ life experiences would be greatly appreciated!

My thanks to you in advance,
-Rich

Just make sure it gets adequate water.

I've done my fall seeding, but nothing is coming up it is so dry. After an unusually rainy summer, we have had less than 2" since the first of September. I suppose if I want to get it to germinate and grow right, I'm going to have to watch the soil moisture a little more closely.

Are you saying just go ahead and seed right over the other weeds and keep water on it? No need to hoe it down to bare soil?

Rich Wahl wrote:Are you saying just go ahead and seed right over the other weeds and keep water on it? No need to hoe it down to bare soil?

Yes. In the past I have mowed with the lawn mower on the lowest setting and the clover and daikon and chicory come up just fine. They can compete as the summer grasses are dying back.

That is what I had hoped. Thank you so much for the reassurance.