PlantMania.
Different zones will have different harvest times. I grow all the categories, hardneck, softneck, and Creole. The Creole is usually the last to be dug up. Hardneck is the first. I should be digging up the hardneck in a week or two and expect to dig the Creole up about two weeks after the hardneck is dug. The Creole always have smaller bulbs than the hardneck and softneck. You are a bit warmer than I am here in Starkville, so my guess is that you'll dig your Creole up in a couple of weeks.
I would recommend you not consider leaving your bulbs in the ground past their harvest time. They will tend to rot in the ground. I assume you mean that you want to use one bulb, not one clove, and plant the cloves from the other three bulbs. Don't forget that you need to hang the garlic in a dry, warm, well aerated place for two weeks before cutting off the tops. Cut the tops about 1-2" above where the stem becomes the bulb. Thus when you store your bulbs (and don't divide them into cloves until you are ready to plant), store them in a plain, brown-paper bag and keep that bag in a dry, cool place. You don't want those bulbs exposed to light, thus the brown-paper. Mine are stored in my pantry and the pantry stays around 70F. Anything from 55-70F is fine.
Creole garlic is a great garlic, even though, as I mentioned, the bulbs are small. Hardneck typically have the largest bulbs and fewest cloves, which means the cloves will be probably 2-3 times the size of those of Creole. The major difference between the hardneck, softneck, and Creole is storage time. Hardneck typically should be used within 6 mo., softneck within 9 mo., and Creole can store well for a year. All varieties are different and flavors (garlickiness) and pungency (hotness). The hardneck varieties taste as good as the softneck and Creole and for me at least, all the categories grow equally well here. Is there a reason to pay a premium for softneck, and an even larger premium for Creole garlic if storage is not an issue? Probably not.
Feel free to contact me via T-Mail if you have questions or concerns.
