Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov was born on October 18, 1738, in the village of Dvoryaninovo to a colonel's family. Until the age of 12, he lived with his father, who served in the Arkhangelsk regiment, where Bolotov was enrolled as a cadet at the age of ten.

His father taught him German and French, arithmetic, and geography. Bolotov served in the regiment in Estonia and participated in campaigns in Lithuania and Prussia during the Seven Years' War. In Königsberg, he worked as a clerk and translator for the Russian governor-general of Prussia, Korff, and later transferred to serve under Governor-General Suvorov. During this time, he became acquainted with professors at the University of Königsberg, attended their lectures, and read books. Until 1762, he was a chamber adjutant to Korff.

After retiring, Bolotov settled in his ancestral estate, engaging in sciences, agriculture, and pedagogy. He published books on pedagogy, ethics, and philosophy. He was particularly fascinated by gardening and cultivated gardens at his estate. In Prussia, he acquired numerous books on natural science and agriculture, allowing him to create an extensive library.

Empress Catherine II entrusted him with the administration of the Kiyasosvskaya, Bogoroditskaya, and Bobrikovskaya volosts. Bolotov developed a project for the first landscape park in Russia and managed these volosts for over 23 years. For his services, he was awarded the rank of collegiate assessor. After the empress's death, Bolotov refused to manage the volosts and returned to his ancestral estate, focusing on agriculture and literature.

Bolotov became a member of the Economic Free Society, the Royal Saxon Economic Society of Leipzig, and the Moscow Imperial Society of Agriculture. He published in various journals such as 'Rural Dweller', 'Economic Magazine', 'Moscow News', and 'Agricultural Journal'.

Most of Bolotov's life was spent in Dvoryaninovo, and only in 1803 did he go to St. Petersburg for 11 months, where he participated in meetings of the Free Economic Society. For his contributions to agriculture, the society awarded him a gold medal, and the emperor gifted him a diamond ring.

From 1789 to 1816, Bolotov wrote his memoirs 'The Life and Adventures of Andrei Bolotov, Described by Himself for His Descendants'. He passed away on October 16, 1833, in his estate Dvoryaninovo.