Our Story

Jessica and Ryan Welch own Appleberry Orchard in Donnellson, Iowa, growing apples, strawberries, raspberries, black berries, blueberries and Christmas trees. The farm also features an historic barn, petting farm, play area, and a Haunted House in the fall. Appleberry Orchard is owned and farmed by Ryan and Jessica Welch, and today includes 22 acres of apple orchards, a petting farm, children's play area, and a beautiful farm market.

Our Market

The History of the Farm

The first apple tree was planted on this property in 1852, making this the oldest working orchard in the state of Iowa.

The historic barn with windowed cupola, shown in the picture above, was constructed in 1882 and is registered as a National Historic Site. The barn is today used for our petting farm, where your family can see Boer goats, miniature donkey, miniature pony, chickens, rabbits, peacocks and the impressive longhorn cattle.

Jessica Welch makes her homemade breads, pies, bars and cookies from scratch at Appleberry Orchard, Donnellson, Iowa.

The Farm Today

We purchased the orchard in 2008. It had previously been worked by the same family for five generations, and we want to honor that tradition by adding new trees and varieties to continue providing the community with great apples. In addition to the varieties already available, we have planted Buckeye Gala, Blondee, Zestar, Empire and Honeycrisp apples, which will be available in the coming years.

Our Apple Varieties

The farm market is loaded with all sorts of other great treats, including local honey, Iowa sorghum, syrups, jams, jellies, salsas, and much, much more.