I’ve thrown papaya seeds on the ground, I’ve thrown them in the compost bin, and I’ve carefully placed them in pots of fresh soil.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhrnrUByFI/
I’ve had the worst luck with the potted papaya seeds.
On the other hand, I’ve often found them happily volunteering to sprout out of my compost pile. Sometimes they stay there, other times I carefully remove them and place them in a pot or in the ground.
In hot sticky central Florida, papayas are SO easy to grow. The only downside is the rodents like them too.