How to Stratify, Store, and Plant Your Pawpaw Seed
Seeds should be soaked for a few days and then must be stored in a cold, wet environment, a plastic bag with moist paper towels in a fridge or cellar will do (though watch for pests that might want a snack if you choose this), for between 2-4 months. Ideally after this process (stratification) is over, you would plant in spring.
Take note that Pawpaws are deep-rooted species that are quite hard to transplant. So, they should be planted either directly in soil or a deep, narrow pot (minimum of 10 inches deep for the first year). A few months will pass before you see shoots begin to emerge, at which point they will do best in a shaded environment until they are mature enough to withstand the sun’s rays.
Young Pawpaw leaves
Close-up of a Pawpaw flower