Best/safest way to kill poison ivy without killing whole plant bed?

Use straight up boiling water only on the poison ivy plants; it will kill the plants almost immediately. Be sure to wear gloves, followed by plastic gloves or zip lock bags over the gloves so they can be tossed immediately after you are done working in the trash. Pull up the plants with the roots as possible and throw them in the trash. If you still see roots, pour boiling water on them! DO NOT burn or compost any portion of the plant. . Take care to wear pants with socks and shoes. Wash your clothing immediately x2 in warm, sudsy water. You must stay vigilant and not allow the ivy to get out of hand; that means start looking for it in the early spring! I'd recommend staying away from salt if you are trying to eradicate poison ivy from a flower bed as it will kill everything it touches, and will make your planting bed barren.

if you inadvertenly come in contact with the oil of the poison ivy plant,get it washed off within 8 minutes with a good soapy water solution and you should be all right. I personally have gone substansally longer and not been bothered,but it could be that my system may be better against it's poison.

Specific product for PI