I bought tomato plants this year (Big Boy) and with all the rain we had every
weekend never put them into the ground. I just planted them in a large pot
instead for the time being.

Will tomato plants grow like this (I like in NJ) or do they need to go into the
ground to establish their full growth? Every year I want to get "patio"
tomatoes but by the time I get around to it they are gone or I can't find them.
Can I make the regular tomato plants "patio" tomatoes instead?