"My pawpaw seeds are from trees grown as part of a variety trial, so, on average, they probably have a better chance of developing trees with superior fruit size and quality than average pawpaw seeds. Most of the parent trees are not named cultivars (although their parents might have been), and no attempt has been made to retain a record of which trees the seeds came from.

All of my seeds have been collected when they were fresh, thoroughly cleaned, float tested for viability, and placed into cold/moist stratification. You are likely to find that they are packed in moist paper towels with cinnamon sprinkled on the paper towel as a fungal/mold preventative. Be sure to keep a close check on moisture levels while your seeds are being stratified. Any holes in the bag can allow the refrigerator to quickly suck out most of the moisture and allow the seeds to dry out and lose their viability.

I recommend keeping the seeds in stratification until early spring. Since pawpaws develop a large taproot and are sensitive to being transplanted, I would consider planting the seeds where you plan on growing the tree. Plant the seeds about an inch or less below the surface and cover with a light layer of mulch. No soil amendments are advised. Protection from predation may be necessary depending on wildlife in your area.

Pawpaw seeds typically take a really long time to sprout above soil level. Signs of life may not be apparent until around the end of summer or even later. The seeds will develop a decent sized taproot before sending up any foliage, so don't give up on your seeds too early. Even if you don't see any signs of life, they are still dependent on you for proper soil moisture.

Pawpaws are more productive in full sun, so I would recommend a permanent location with at least mostly full sun. The trees are found in the wild as understory trees, so they will do just fine in a shady area but won't produce much fruit. One important consideration is that the trees really need partial shade for the first couple of years of their life. Small seedlings can easily cook in full sun. My recommendation is to provide them with a 50% shadecloth covering for their first two years. Remove the covering in very early spring (before they leaf out) of their third year. A single layer of loosely-woven burlap or some other material can work if shadecloth is not readily available."