Ira Wallace is a co-owner of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, offering over 700 varieties of heirloom and organic seeds. She promotes sustainable gardening and seed saving. Although she has recently stepped down from the Organic Seed Alliance board after more than 12 yrs of service, Ira remains on the board of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming. Ira co-founded the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello and her expertise is in high demand, often speaking to audiences around the country. She writes about heirloom vegetables for publications like Mother Earth News and has authored several books, including "The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast.”