On my first grow I used 5 gal. containers. I did ok, but nothing to jump up and down about. I think my biggest plants were around 4 ft. tall ( white widow and Power Plant ).

I then moved up to using 30 gal. smart pots. These did better and resulted in a decent yeild. Maybe between 1/2 and 1 lb. each. Still not great, but better.

I then built a couple of planter boxes that measured about 20 ft. long and 3 ft wide with room for around 16 inches of depth. I built two of these and they did great. I could put three plants each in them and harvested between 1 and 2 lbs. per plant.

I also moved up to 45 gal. smart pots for a better yeild as well.

In the ground is the only real way to fly though.

Also, do a bit of research into what strain grows good in your area. If you are in the south, and have a longer growing season, then this is easy. However if you are like me and live a bit north, then the choices of strain becomes a bit more difficult as I can only grow strains that have a shorter flowering time. I made the mistake of planting several haze varieties just to have the frost bite them befor they ripened. Not good. Not pretty. Also growing height can be an issue. If security is a problem then maybe a short bushy plant as opposed to one that will reach for the stars may be better. ( topping and low stress training can be of help here .

There are so many variables to a succesful grow that really all I can say is read as much as you can on this ( and other) sites and read some more. Maybe even buy a book or two on the subject. A gardeners most valuable tool is education.

Good luck and happy growing