If you belong to the DIYG’s “Do it Yourself Gardeners,” temptations at nurseries and garden centers are endless. I find the tool isle especially intriguing. Glittering steel rakes and battery-powered diggers and weeders, Ah, the joy of it all.

However, my tool belt includes a good quality hand pruner, pocket-size fold-up saw, a strong weed prong, rubber hose washers, and a flathead and Phillips screwdriver (for hose and irrigation line repair). It also includes a small jar of *Vick’s Vapor Rub to repel biting insects, a roll of florist wire tucked in a side pocket to tie up saggy pl...