Yes, use anything from 15-18 hours light schedule indoors to keep it in veg. 18/6 will be fine.
When you put them outside, you have to make sure that the plants are getting more than 14 hours of daylight each day. Depending on where you like that will change, so Google "dawn and sunset times" for your location and only put them out once you have close to 15 hours, otherwise they will want to flower right away. Its much easier if you live nearer the equator where the days are closer to 12/12 naturally, because you can just add supplemental lighting for a few hours and flip them simply by turning off the lights when you're ready.
Biggest issue growing outside (again, depending on where you live) is getting the plant to flower and complete the cycle early before winter comes and bad weather sets in. This can be difficult if the weather doesn't go your way and you live at higher latitudes, which is why many people grow autos outdoors. In the UK for example, photos don't start flowering until about mid-September, but you'd be lucky not to have constant rain and cold weather in November, just when the buds are at their most vulnerable.
Good luck, brother!