A method for buffering containers (3, 74, 140) with plants includes: providing a buffer space (1) for buffering containers in a greenhouse； providing containers with plants； supplying and disposing a number of containers in a row (10-13, 107-110) in a first direction (21, 111)； buffering the row of disposed containers by gripping, lifting and displacing the row through the buffer space in a second direction (39, 113) which differs from the first direction, and by setting down the row in the buffer space. A related buffering device for temporarily storing containers with plants in a buffer space includes a supply system (5, 105) for supplying containers, a disposing apparatus for disposing a number of supplied containers in a row extending in a first direction, a distributing system (36, 115) provided with at least one controllable gripping device (30, 114, 130) for gripping a row of containers, wherein the distributing system is movable substantially in a second direction which differs from the first direction, and is movable above the disposing apparatus.
