Shipping system for plants or other items

A method of forming shipping containers, comprising:

• providing a plurality of horizontal members having quadrilateral perimeters and upstanding edge walls extending around the perimeter to define an outwardly-opening space;
• providing a plurality of upstanding dividers, each having a U-shape in plan view formed by a central wall and transverse end walls;
• positioning first and second dividers on a horizontal member that has been positioned for use as a base with the space opening upwardly and receiving lower edge portions of the first and second dividers therein, wherein the central walls of the first and second dividers extend across a central portion of the horizontal member to define side-by-side shipping spaces, and wherein the end walls of the dividers extend along inside surfaces of a selected pair of the edge walls;
• positioning items to be shipped in the shipping spaces;
• positioning third and fourth dividers adjacent the first and second dividers, respectively, with end walls of the first and third dividers overlap, and wherein end walls of the second and fourth dividers overlap;
• positioning a horizontal member on top of the dividers to form an assembled container;
• providing at least four first dividers having a first height and a first shape in plan view;
• providing at least four second dividers having the first shape in plan view and having a second height that is not equal to the first height;
• providing a plurality of horizontal members that can be used as covers and bases with both the first dividers and the second dividers;
• assembling at least first and second containers having the first and second heights;
• and
• positioning at least one second assembled container on top of the first assembled container to form a stack of containers.

A method of forming shipping containers, comprising:

• providing a plurality of horizontal members having quadrilateral perimeters and upstanding edge walls extending around the perimeter to define an outwardly-opening space;
• providing a plurality of upstanding dividers, each having a U-shape in plan view formed by a central wall and transverse end walls;
• positioning first and second dividers on a horizontal member that has been positioned for use as a base with the space opening upwardly and receiving lower edge portions of the first and second dividers therein, wherein the central walls of the first and second dividers extend across a central portion of the horizontal member to define side-by-side shipping spaces, and wherein the end walls of the dividers extend along inside surfaces of a selected pair of the edge walls;
• positioning items to be shipped in the shipping spaces;
• positioning third and fourth dividers adjacent the first and second dividers, respectively, with end walls of the first and third dividers overlap, and wherein end walls of the second and fourth dividers overlap;
• positioning a horizontal member on top of the dividers to form an assembled container;
• and wherein:
• the items to be shipped are positioned in the shipping spaces after the first and second dividers are positioned on the horizontal member, but before the third and fourth dividers are positioned on the horizontal member.

A method of forming a shipping container system for plants,

• comprising:
• forming a base having a horizontal central sheet and upstanding edge walls defining a generally quadrilateral perimeter such that the base defines a shallow space that opens upwardly;
• forming a vertical divider structure comprising at least first, second, third, and fourth upstanding dividers, each divider having an upstanding central wall with vertically extending opposite edge portions, each divider further including a pair of planar end walls extending transversely from the opposite edge portions of the central wall, wherein each pair of planar end walls are parallel to one another and define a horizontal dimension therebetween and vertical end edges such that each divider is generally U-shaped in plan view and defines upper and lower edge portions;
• positioning the lower edge portions of the first and second dividers in the upwardly opening shallow space of the base inside the edge walls with the central walls of the first and second dividers being directly adjacent one another and extending across a central portion of the shallow space with the end walls of the first and second dividers extending in opposite directions just inside of the upstanding edge wails to thereby form an H-shape in plan view defining first and second spaces utilizing the first and second dividers, wherein the first and second spaces are separated by the adjacent central walls of the first and second dividers and wherein the vertical end edges define openings having a width equal to the horizontal dimension;
• positioning the third divider adjacent the first divider with the central wall of the third divider being spaced apart from the central wall of the first divider with the end walls of the third divider overlapping the end walls of the first divider;
• positioning the fourth divider adjacent the second divider with the central wall of the fourth divider being spaced apart from the central wall of the second divider with the end walls of the fourth divider overlapping the end walls of the second divider whereby the vertical divider structure defines a generally quadrilateral outer perimeter in plan view and a central space that is divided into first and second spaces by the central walls of the first and second dividers;
• forming a cover having a generally quadrilateral perimeter and downwardly extending edge walls forming a shallow downwardly opening space;
• positioning the cover on the vertical divider structure with a central portion of the cover extending over the upper end portions of the first, second, third, and fourth dividers.