He went to Rowan Regional Medical Center on Aug. 11 and six days later underwent quintuple heart bypass surgery at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte.

And while Harrison was concentrating on getting stronger, his family was watching his tomato plants.

It’s not quite clear who discovered the heart-shaped fruit, but Connie Harrison, Bob’s daughter-in-law, thought it was special enough to enter in the Post’s Garden Game.

Harrison, 82, retired from the grocery and trucking business and has grown tomatoes for family and friends for years.

He staked out about 24 plants this year, using a number of varieties.

Connie, who’s married to Bob’s son, Mark, and their son, Levi, saved the heart until Harrison could get home.

After his surgery on Aug. 17, a Thursday, he convinced doctors he was ready to go home by the following Monday.

“I wanted to get out of there,” Harrison said. “They kept telling me, ‘You’ve sure done well. You’ve sure done well.’ So I told them, ‘I’m ready.’ ”

Now his wife, Rachel, and other family members are helping him get back on his feet.

Mark and Connie Harrison have two children, Maranda and Levi.

Bob and Rachel’s other son, Gwynn, and his wife, Patsy, have three children, Angela, Laura and Brandon.

Angela has a daughter, Julie; Laura has a son, Weston; and Brandon has two children, Austin and Stacy.

As for Harrison’s Garden Game entry, “we kept showing it and showing it, so much that it kind of wore out,” Bob Harrison said.