planatus gives a good answer on this subject in the link below.

Rodney

Here is a link that might be useful: Any Success with Growing Creole Garlic In the North?

the forgottenone1013, I reviewed the post from planatus you referenced, and there seems to be some confusion. First, she is located in Floyd, VA at latitude 38. I'm in Michigan at latitude 43, so somewhat further north of her. She speaks of a need for shorter winter days which she seems to lack, but I do have in December. She also claims that Creole should be in a good growth stage by the end of February, but due to her cold weather, she doesn't experience this until March. My zone 5 experiences colder temps than her zone 6.
So I guess my question would be which takes precedence, the shorter days or warmer temps? Sounds as though the ideal situation for me would be my shorter days and a mild winter.
We shouldn't forget also that when planting new stock, there's that acclimation period of years in developing a larger acceptable bulb.
Perhaps a work around to this problem of temperature, would be to cover the rows with mulch and on top of that a clear plastic. Then along the first of February, replace the clear plastic with a black plastic in order to bring warmth to the ground sooner.

I think we'll have shorter winter days when spring approaches. No confusion to me. The northern climate is just not good for Creole garlic. It is the cold temperature.

The Creoles are mostly from Spain. Even in their native land, they do not grow large. Acclimation will not help.

Of course, you can grow then under cover. If you really like the tastes and would not mind with the trouble, do it. But since they are so unreliable locally, folks do not grow, people do not know them and there is no market for them. After you going through all the trouble, there is not really a market for it.

There are so many other good varieties in the Northern region. This all happens for a reason. Our local farmers mainly grow Music and German White. This is mainly for the extra large cloves. Cooks love them. As for the taste, they are decent. It is very hard for folks to tell so much of the different tastes.

Here in the north, garlic is planted in the fall to overwinter and start growth in the early spring for an early to mid-summer harvest. It grows only very minimally during winter, if it grows at all.

Creole garlic is meant to be grown during winter. They start growth in winter for a late-spring harvest. It is similar to short-day onions in this regard. And as with short-day onions, if planted in the north they would have only a small amount of time to grow before harvest resulting in small bulbs.

It's true that here in Michigan we have short days during winter but the temperature is too cold for growth. If you set up a low tunnel or something similar that would increase both the air and soil temps then you might have luck. Simply planting through plastic isn't going to make much difference as it will only warm the soil.

Rodney

Well then, I'll rule out Creole for my area. Thank you for the information.