Although potatoes had become widely familiar in Russia by 1800, they were confined to garden plots until the grain failure in 1838–39 persuaded peasants and landlords in central and northern Russia to devote their fallow fields to raising potatoes.
Meskipun kentang telah dikenal luas pada 1800 di Rusia, tanaman pangan ini masih ditanam secara terbatas di kebun sampai gagal panen biji-bijian pada tahun 1838–39 membujuk para petani dan tuan-tuan tanah di tengah dan utara Rusia untuk mengisi lahan kosong mereka dengan menanami kentang.