Direct sunlight?

[tomacco]

Hello. I am a new tomato grower. Though I have been gardening for about one year, I have never started plants from seeds before.

Having just built several of Ray's EarthTainers, I would like to populate them with a few tomato plants.

My house is very shaded and there really aren't any windows that get a decent amount of direct sunlight. My question is, do you need direct sunlight for seed germination or is indirect sunlight sufficient?

If I do need direct sunlight, would it be ok to start the seeds outside? I live in SoCal, so typically temperatures are quite mild here. Though lately it's been pouring rain.

Thanks!