Well, you could post this in the composting forum for more ideas, but my mother composts on her balcony. She uses a big flower pot and has a lid for it to help keep it damp. She doesn't get much out of it, but the stuff does slowly break down. IACBTC as we composters say.

Cindy, I would suggest you do a worm bin. Go to the link below for lots of help.
Sandy-going back into read mode

Here is a link that might be useful: vermicomposting

Sure. You COULD use the same method I do. Use a large, sturdy garbage can. Make sure that the top locks down into a tight seal and is VERY secure. Dump your trimmings into the bin in equal parts:

1) Green - vegetable trimmings, and plant trimmings.
2) Brown - dead leaves and grass clippings
3) Soil - make sure it is free of weeds.

-You can chop your trimmings fine to speed up the process......and keep the can on top of something to catch leaks. You can periodically turn the can, or mix the contents with a shovel to speed things up. The mix should be moist, but not wet.

-Hope this is helpful.

-David Mason

Thanks for your suggestions. (: It seems very complicated, but I think what you're doing, David, is basically what I'm doing. Green+brown+soil=what I learned reading the compost forum, and also the frugal forum, where there are people with brilliant ideas about where to get this stuff for cheap/free. I also want to try vermicomposting, Sandy, so I will be checking out that forum. My main concern is space. Most of the folks on the composting forum seem to have quite a bit of space, but I have little. Thanks for telling me what your mom does, Mag. I have a couple of questions:
What is "periodically?" Every few days? Once a week?
How important is it that the compost be sealed tightly?
Thanks!
Cindy

I don't know if you can technically get "hot" compost in a small space (the folks on the composting forum know more about this). I compost in two nested rubbermaid containers totalling about 18" x 18" x 24" long, on a 6' x 25' balcony. It's very low tech: used potting soil, lots of coffee grounds and onion peels, a few leaves once in a while, with the occasional earthworm added from the community garden I help weed.

I turn whenever I remember/feel like it, maybe once a month, when I think the neighbors won't notice. (I live in a highrise with closely packed balconies, and they think I'm weird enough without seeing me root through a "trash bucket".) It produces a small bucketful of finished compost every time I turn, probably because of all the coffee grounds. The inner container is pierced with airholes on sides and bottom and is propped up on small "feet"; I leave the top off with a sheet of newspaper to cover. That's inside a slightly bigger container which is unpierced with loosely closed lid, mostly because I was afraid of the box getting too hot when the late sun falls on it and cooking the worms. So I thought I would provide an air space buffer. It also keeps the compost juice from leaking onto the floor. It has never smelled; once in a while the ants come and explore it but then move out again.

This year my garden center is going to stock the official sort of compost worms, so I might try those. Will they get along with my regular ol' worms?

How about gras clippings to start a compost in a rubber maid tub in my shop? the grass never went to seed, its kept cut short.Does it have to be kept drained or can it sit in the juice? The juice must be good for the plants too? FLOW.

I'm putting up a link for an article about composting on balconies/patios. It's really helpful! : )

"How about gras clippings to start a compost in a rubber maid tub in my shop? the grass never went to seed, its kept cut short.Does it have to be kept drained or can it sit in the juice?"

The only problem with grass is that it sticks to itself. You have to be really careful to mix it up well with other stuff so it breaks down and doesn't just sit in a clump (everything will break down eventually, but clumps take a LOT longer to break down). Also, only grass=too much green=sour smell. This is very easily fixable--just add a brown (it sounds to me like you intend to use freshly mowed grass, which is a "green," and as you already know greens and browns need to be mixed). My favorite thing to mix with grass is shredded newspaper, because it's so easy to mix in equal parts of paper to equal parts of grass. If you don't have any newspapers lying around, go get some freebie newspapers from stores. Or shred brown paper grocery bags, add used paper coffee filters, and even dryer lint (not fabric softener sheets, just the lint from the lint trap). Cardboard will take longer to break down, but will also work.

My biggest compost tip is to shred things and cut them up small before adding them--really speeds up the process! : )

Here is a link that might be useful: Urban composting

Here is a link to anaerobic omposting. It is slow, but it does work. I have two 5 gal. sealed plastic buckets on my balcony (I use them to hold flower pots while they are composting inside. Seems to work okay, just slow. Of course you don't get huge quantities, but you can keep a couple going all the time. Good luck.
http://www.gardenadvice.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/basics.detail/basicsId/106373/catId/31320

Here is a link that might be useful: Anaerobic Composting