A well-established apple orchard with a secondary U-cut Scotch Pine operation whose cut-your-own fields appear to close well before Christmas, even though the record has no confirmed 2026 dates.
Deal’s Orchard is primarily an apple orchard — known for fall pick-your-own apples and a fall festival — that added a U-cut Scotch Pine Christmas tree operation back in 1999. That history matters for how you should think about this farm: it isn’t a purpose-built Christmas destination the way a dedicated tree farm is, but a multi-season working farm where trees are one part of a broader operation.
A Yelp snapshot from the 2025 season noted that as of Dec. 8, the U-cut fields were already closed for the year, while pre-cut trees remained available for purchase. No exact 2026 dates were posted at research time, so this can’t be treated as a guaranteed annual rule, but it’s a real, recent data point worth taking seriously if cutting your own tree is the point of the trip for you. The practical implication: if you’re planning a U-cut visit any time in December, call first to confirm the fields are still open, and don’t assume “Christmas trees still being sold” means “still cutting your own.”
Because the farm sells both U-cut and pre-cut trees, a closed U-cut field doesn’t mean an empty tree lot — it means your options narrow to whatever’s already been harvested and is waiting pre-cut. That’s a reasonable fallback if your timing doesn’t work out for cutting your own, though it does mean less choice over the specific tree you take home.
The farm’s Scotch Pine planting from 1999 is the one species confirmed by name. Beyond that, sources describe “a wide selection” without specifics, so this record can’t tell you exactly what else is on offer. If a particular species matters to your holiday plans, that’s a good question to ask directly rather than assume.
The Apple Barn functions as a gift shop and includes a model train display and a Santa sleigh photo backdrop during the Christmas season, giving the visit more to do than a straightforward cut-and-pay stop. If you’re bringing kids who’d enjoy a model train or a photo opportunity, that’s a real reason to choose this farm over a bare-bones lot, even setting the tree-cutting logistics aside.
No 2026 season dates, hours, or pricing were found anywhere in the sources reviewed. That’s a real gap for a farm whose most useful known fact is a timing pattern from last year — without current dates, you can’t map “early in the season” onto an actual calendar week yet. Until the farm publishes 2026 information, treat any visit-timing plan as a best guess based on last year’s Dec. 8 closure, and confirm by phone before you drive out expecting to cut your own tree.
Not documented for 2026, but based on the 2025 pattern (U-cut fields already closed by Dec. 8 while pre-cut trees remained), go early in the season if cutting your own tree matters to you.
Not documented directly, but the Apple Barn gift shop, model train display, and Santa photo backdrop suggest a visit of an hour or so beyond the tree-cutting itself.
Not documented in the record.
Not specified in the record.
Not addressed in the sources reviewed.
Skip planning a cut-your-own visit for mid- or late December, since the 2025 season pattern shows the U-cut fields closing well before Christmas while only pre-cut trees stay available.
Not documented in the record, though the farm's dual identity as a fall apple orchard and fall-festival destination may be worth knowing about for a future autumn visit.
Both. It's primarily known as a working apple orchard with fall pick-your-own apples and a fall festival, but it added a U-cut Scotch Pine tree operation starting in 1999.
Not necessarily late in the season. A Yelp snapshot noted that as of Dec. 8, 2025, the U-cut fields for that season were already closed while pre-cut trees remained available, suggesting the cut-your-own window closes earlier in December than at many other Iowa farms.
The original planting in 1999 was Scotch Pine. Sources describe 'a wide selection' beyond that without naming specific additional species.
The Apple Barn doubles as a gift shop and includes a model train display and a Santa sleigh photo backdrop during the season.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the farm before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes. It's cut-your-own.
1102 244th St, Jefferson, IA 50129, in Greene County. It is one of 6 farms we track in Des Moines Region IA.
We track 6 farms in Des Moines Region IA, 6 of which let you cut your own tree. The farm has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
What sets it apart locally: it has a gift shop or farm market, a hayride or sleigh ride, which most Des Moines Region IA farms on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 5 of the 6 farms we track in Des Moines Region IA had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.
There are 3 other farms we track in Greene County. All Des Moines Region IA farms →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
dealsorchard.com · traveliowa.com · visitiowafarms.org
Checked September 2026.