Any idea how to grow decent size tomatoes on a patio?

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-tomatoes-5-gallon-buckets-40421.html

Assuming that your patio gets at least 6 hours of direct sun, the next thing is to use the largest pot you can accommodate. Use lots of black compost in your container and do not let it dry out enough that the plant wilts. I tried this and had to water every day to keep the plants from drying out.

The pots need to be large for their roots. Here's an article with some guidelines:

http://www.tomatodirt.com/growing-tomatoes-in-pots.html

It helps to feed the tomatoes what they love: egg shells and coffee grounds, mulch them to keep moisture in the soil, and heat and sunshine all day as much as possible. Also, i remove what we call the suckers. These are new branches that start between the main stem and a good branch while they are still only an inch or so long. They take fruit strength away to make new branches. Here is a photo. One yr I had trouble getting blossoms to make fruit. It turns out I needed more calcium in the soil, hence the egg shell trick. Now I put a crushed one in the hole when I plant the tomato in a larger pot. Here is a photo of the suckers. Hope this helps.

Here are some of the best container varieties to try:

http://www.veggiegardener.com/best-tomatoes-for-containers/

I always have one tomato in a pot by the house. I use a minimum of twenty four inch pots. If you can get bigger it wouldn't hurt. Potted tomatoes need a bit more care than the ones planted in the ground. It will need more watering with good drainage to stay healthy and anything potted will loose it nutrients quicker due to the increase in watering. I found when it was real hot I had to water at least twice a day to keep the plant from wilting. I hope this helps. Make a platform with plywood and good metal castors so that you can move it around easily and don't put Styrofoam or water bottles or anything in the pot to lighten the weight.

The yield really depends on the container and the soil...and whether you care more about aesthetics or production. A trash can is relatively small in circumference but quite deep... it will provide plenty of room for roots and has enough depth to support tall poles or a trellis for good support for the tomatoes. Place it on a plant dolly if you want to be able to move it around.... Remember to drill holes in the bottom for drainage... If you want to get a little more technical (so to speak) Google search: Earth Tainer... there is a PDF that you can print off for a build it yourself... self watering container... made from 18 gallon Rubbermaid totes... tried it... and it works... the plastic tote just does not hold up well in our Arizona sun and heat... so after one season.. they cracked and died. We grow a lot of our garden in galvanized horse troughs... works well and the gophers can't climb the metal.